1

Roll the dice

on tonight,

go and roll em Out.

--

She ran, pushing aside chairs and tables serving as hindrance. But they all put a hand in slowing her pace. She kept moving, panting heavily. The same scene kept popping in as she ran.

The cold realization hit her. She was running in circles. Same scene, no change.

A hand caught her.

'Oh no! This cant be happening.'

She struggled to free herself from her captor's iron grip but all went to no avail. Perspiration lined her temple as they ran down in wet beads. She struggled, but it was a futile attempt, she screamed, but the sound unheard, her pleas seem to be stuck in her throat.

Helpless, she watched in horror as her captor tore her clothes to shreds, malice and pure hate visible in his gaze.

"Please let me go." She mouthed. Already drained of energy. But all she got was a hit, hot on her face. Tears fought for a free course, but nothing was shed.

"I made you! I decide what do with you! I own this!" Her captor bellowed angrily, tearing off every bit of clothing covering her body.

With both hands tied and legs spread, she fought for her freedom, but all was a total lost cause. At the moment, she felt the tip of the white candle graze her entrance.

"Now spread for me." Her captor ordered, yanking her legs and exposing her. She felt the cold brush of air before a painful penetration.

She screeched.

"Open this door!" A voice shouted.

The bang was loud.

-

Chimdi jerked to the wake of reality.

Another victory, another nightmare. Her heart thudded, making it's way to her stomach.

The bang came again and she groaned, the nightmare was enough to cause her a migraine, not this.

Perspiration lurked her temple, dripping down her eyelids. Her bedsheet was wet from them.

The bang came again. Bazooka was at it again.

"House girls wake up and get started for the day. No slacking this session!" The angry matron thundered, banging on every door in the hostel.

Chimdi could hear grunts from other rooms, due to the thin walls demarcating her room from theirs.

She looked across to see a knocked out Lara, totally unperturbed by the disturbance Bazooka was causing. Her mouth slightly open, the night's drool, dried on her chin.

Chimdi smiled, as she got up from her bed and knowing fully well that the girl wasn't waking anytime soon, unless she was shaken.

Jolting again when bazooka banged on the door one last time, she finally noticed the absence of her other roommate, Nene. Nene ever the early bird was up as usual. How she snuck out without a sound still remained a mystery to Chimdi.

Tying her towel and stepping out of her warm room, Chimdi was hit by the morning harmattan. The cold, bone freezing. She was about to skedaddle to the bathroom, just to bump into bazooka with her ever protruding melon-bosom and her signature nightie. A long skirt and an oversized t-shirt which was probably her husband's.

"Good morning ma." Chimdi greeted, trying to brush past the fat woman.

Who ever named her bazooka should be given an award.

The woman was a step away from obesity, with a head, small enough to pass for a coconut.

"Eheeh, my friend is this the time to wake up? You think this is your fancy mansion where you have maids to your beck and call?" The fat woman started her usual rant.

Chimdi murmured a greeting, trying to escape, but the woman wouldn't have it.

"Listen, Ajebutter pikin. If you cannot handle hostel life go home and stop wasting precious time. The school rule states that, you are to wake up by four to prepare. But here you are with your towel, gallivanting to the bathroom. In my days..." Chimdi was practically praying for the older woman to let her be. She tried her best to tune her out, but boy, was her voice loud enough to be heard from miles away.

"...and tell that edi abali to leave this hostel once it's six." Chimdi took that as her cue to leave when the woman walked out. All the while, praying Lara was already awake being that, she was the said 'edi Abali'

Chimdi made her way to the bathroom finally, without any interruption. The harmattan breeze forcing her teeth into a clattering contest and the dreadful part of it being that, she was going to bath a cold, no scratch that, a chilled water. Because, the queue to get hot water was longer than the Abuja-Kaduna rail track.

Why the School was tagged an Elite school, was something Chimdi found hard to fathom. Yes, it had popular teen stars and Instagram sensations, nice buildings, adequate facilities and qualified teachers. It was like every other boarding school, with it's struggles and constant nagging from the school staff.

"Ten counts to leave your rooms! One, two..." The hostel prefect finally waking up began to count, making Chimdi chuckle whilst shaking her head. But not until Bazooka banged on her bathroom door.

"You have five counts to leave here!"

And she hadn't poured water on her shaking body.

--

TJ closed his eyes and focused on clearing his head. The harmattan air was cold enough to freeze a baby to death and he just had his bath. His body shook as he searched for his body lotion.

He was used to the cold winter nights and mornings of New york. To him, they were constant. But this harmattan was crazy.

Yesterday, it was a normal morning, now his teeth wanted to break from jamming into each other. He felt himself convulse and had it.

He emptied his toiletry bag and finally singled out the cursed lotion. Heaving a sigh, he sat on his bed.

"Kuna Dariya?" He heard someone cuss. On turning, and came face to face with a light skinned boy with a fade cut high enough to be braided. Who he guessed was his other roommate.

The boy clad in the School's uniform, a grey trouser, white shirt with a maroon blazer, glared daggers at him.

"S'up man?" TJ greeted, getting up from the bed to grab his school uniform.

"Don't tell me they added one more person after I told them not to." The boy spoke more to himself, but TJ replied anyway.

"Why don't you go ask them your self. I'm TJ though. Elo went to the bathroom." TJ said, already clad on his trousers.

"Wait." The fairer boy paused. "You are the guy Elo has been talking about?" He asked, scowl still on his face.

"The one and only." TJ could feel the boy's gaze harden.

Elo chose that moment to run in.

"Jesus, If not for Mad Max, I for no go school." The slender black boy cussed. He too was shaking violently, until he noticed additional presence.

"Jiki, guy you made it." Elo flashed his signature grin, the tall boy rolled his eyes.

"You seriously asked them to add another person here?" Jiki asked, absolute disbelief shadowing his face.

"Ogbeni, calm down." Elo said cheerfully, shining his dentals causing another eye roll from Jiki. "And please get rid of that scowl, you're scaring someone's child."

"Like I care." Jiki deadpanned before walking to his bed.

"Guys, do you realize that I'm here?" TJ who has been trying to figure out where the conversation was heading, asked.

But only got a hiss from Jiki who flipped them, before making his way to the door.

"Guy your father!" Elo cussed whilst laughing.

"Je gidan wuta! " Jiki cussed back. Shutting the door loudly.

"No way. That's definitely your place!" Elo called back.

"What's his problem though?" Asked a bemused TJ. He couldn't tell why the boy despised him at first glance.

"Man, leave him. He gets like that beginning of every session." Elo laughed, tripping on his socks.

--

Glossary

"Ajebutter pikins" rich kids

"edi abali" one who sleeps like a log of wood.(igbo)

"Kuna Dariya?" Are you kidding me?(Hausa)

"Ogbeni,"(mister)

"je gidan wuta" Go to hell(hausa)