Chapter five

"Li!" Bruno said, his hand quivering as he held the phone to his ear. He continued. "Anne is dead!" he managed to say.

"How do you expect me to calm down? I didn't want another person to die... The hospital she was taken to with Miranda confirmed that Miranda didn't just die. " he paused for a while and sniffed.

"I don't know what to do! Anne did not deserve to die. She's innocent with some family bullshit." Bruno didn't know when he started crying as he listened to Li.

"that's a lie..." he sniffed. "Why should I tell my parent that Miranda had been with Anne and Anne had been picking up her calls to tell me she was okay...that's cruel." he tried to keep himself from crying again.  He continued. "Now that I have no one to protect me? will this be the end of my career? No! The families deals are just bullshit!" he barked and smashed his phone to the ground, letting out all his anger as he crushed the phone severely with his bare foot causing his leg to bleed.

Amelia Entered the class late in the usual way causing distraction but it was less compared to the first time. She sat on the empty roll at the back. While she was sitting down, Bruno rushed in and sat down beside her without looking up, his body shaking and his eyes were swollen.

Amelia looked at him, trying to figure out what was going on but she later decided to mind her business.

Bruno looked up to see what the professor was lecturing them but he couldn't focus.

"Are you also meant to suffer?" Amelia asked and Bruno looked at her scary face. Without saying a word, he looked down and pretended to be settling down for the class.

Hannah sat quietly on the lover's couch beside Elon. They both looked depressed and it was as if Elon was trying to think of an idea.

Hannah looked at him and looked away. She looked more worried and tired. She opened her mouth to say something but couldn't get a word out. Elon inhaled deeply and exhaled through his mouth.

"Everything irritates me right now!" She fired and Elon pretended not to hear.  She continued. "Especially with the thought that I could die anytime from now..." she put her palm on her forehead in frustration.

"Should we ask his spouse...maybe she will know something about his whereabouts." Elon finally voiced out.

Hannah sighed deeply and shook her head.  "that's stupid! You think someone in captive will tell you about her husband's whereabouts?..." she rolled her eyes and continued. "Just think about something else."

Elon smiled. "I know we both do not want to keep an enemy for our family but I think we should let them know why they are there.... If they find out about Bob and others,  they will kill us and kill them."

Hannah smiled sarcastically. "but Bob will start planning to ruin our family If he knows about it and we will also die... Either way...we are dying anyways." Elon could trace the fear in her words.

"at least they will know that we tried to help. What if we instil fear in them and make them go far away?" Elon suggested.

"they will come back one day.... just like the Armitage," Hannah said stressing the word Armitage.

Dan Walton walked as usual into a room without having to use the card. A lady was impatiently waiting for him.

"you are a bit late," she said almost whispering.

"I know." he said nonchalantly as he handed the little box sealed with ash tape to the lady. "that's one kilo and you should never resell my shit In here," he warned coldly.

"I'm taking this to town," she assured.

"good luck!" he said sharply and left the room.

He opened another room door and entered.  Damon was in his usual position but reading a magazine.

"drop it!" Damon said without looking and Dan did just that and left the room before Damon could look back.

Jane laughed as she and her new friend sat down on her bed gisting, leaving Hannah with her book to read. Hannah was not feeling comfortable with the noise as she moved from one side to another feeling angry with all the situations that surrounded her. She finally picked up her bag angrily and put her books inside. She impatiently zipped it not minding if it was fully Zipped. She took a bottle of water from her table and made her way out. While she was leaving, a small piece of plastic dropped from her bag but she didn't notice.

"Isn't that your roommate's medication?" the lady asked Jane as she pointed to it. the thought of it being a medication made Jane curious she picked it up immediately and kept it inside her bag.

"She can be crazy at times," Jane said and the lady giggled.

Amelia entered her room looking fulfilled as she opened her roommate's closet to pack her belongings. After a while, she left the room with a large wheeled box and some little bags. She happily pulled the box out of the hostel as a man took it from her at the entrance of the blue building.

"thank you very much." the man said after putting the box and other bags inside the car.

"roommates are meant to help each other," she said calmly and smiled warmly. "I will check on her before she's discharged."

"thank you very much. Our parents would like to know you or meet you in person. "

"no problem. My name is Amelia by the way," she said, letting out a welcoming smile.

"I will not forget," he said shortly before driving away.

Jane was alone in the room, she had her phone in her right hand and the medication in her left hand.

"It's a medication for chemotherapy?" she whispered to herself in disbelief as she searched more about the medication on her phone.

As she was busy typing on her phone, not minding if the door was opened or closed.   Hannah rushed in, breathing through her mouth as she rested her back on the door.  Jane couldn't hide what she was holding anymore because it was too late.

Hannah looked up slowly and saw her medication with Jane. She walked as fast as she could and snatched it from Jane. She opened her bag and took out the bottled water she had put in her bag earlier. Jane watched her as she took a medication from the bottle, swallowed it and drank almost half of the water inside the bottle.

"Why did you have my medication," she asked impatiently as she dropped the water and the medication on her table.

"it fell from your bag," Jane explained,  feeling guilty as she talked.

Hannah's gaze became hard all of a sudden,  Jane had never seen that part of her. Her dreadlocks dangled on her face as she lowered her thin body.

"never should you touch anything that belongs to me again and we only share a room...you are a nobody to me," she said coldly.

Jane tried to breathe, looking as guilty as ever. "Hannah I'm sorry for treating you the way I have." she apologized.

"I was never your friend...I only forced things and later realised that it wasn't worth it"  she said coldly as she sat on her bed looking at the strong tiny fist she had made.

"I didn't know about your health. Should have treated you better."

Looking more furious, Hannah left her bed and stood in front of Jane. "never should you talk about my health or me again." she fired.

"you have cancer and I've been giving you a hard time...that's too much," Jane said, sounding as low as she could.

"you are a Fernando and I am a Dakota. Two different worlds. I refused to tell my parents about having a Fernando roommate to get closer to you...maybe you are different but now...I know that even in the next life... Dakota and Fernando will always be enemies." Hannah said angrily and went back to her bed. Jane was left speechless as she sat down puzzled.

Amelia sat down at the back as usual,  her role was empty because nobody wanted to sit close to her.

Bruno observed her for some minutes from where he sat among some guys who seemed to be forcing friendship on him. After a while, he left his seat and went to Amelia.  He sat beside her and smiled nervously at her which Amelia didn't react to.

"I'm sorry for treating you that way the other day," he whispered to her but she ignored him. He continued. "the question you asked me the other day got to me and it seems you analyzed my life."

Amelia looked at him briefly before saying.  "Leave my side...I ruin people," she said in a serious tone but Bruno didn't take it seriously.

"I'm ruined already! What more?" he said in a low tone.

"I'm a Martinez," she said sharply and Bruno looked up to her face.

One part of him wanted to take his bag and run while the other just wanted to know more about her.

"interesting," he said, hiding the fear behind his voice.

"don't pretend as if you are not scared... You beat me up or your bloodline will be ruined," she said, making it sound more like a threat.

"is that why your face is stitched?." he asked her in a low tone.

"You can just add to it," she said coldly and Bruno faked a smile.

"I'm not to suffer according to the Armitage rule but I am suffering from the unknown," he said, tears almost falling from his eyes.

"my only elder sister was killed during the free week...another person who was not supposed to get a scratch because of the situation died of it." he allowed the tear to drop as Amelia looked at him in a confused way.

"you should just leave this school!" she said bluntly.

"why haven't you?" he questioned.

"Because I am meant to suffer and I'm used to it."

Bruno thought about what she had gone through or might be going through. "with the little that is happening to me at the moment, I can't imagine what you might have gone through." he said calmly and Amelia pretended to be focused on the lecturer.

Becca was scrubbing the floor hard when Rosalyn stood up to her.

"Daniels!... You know the floor is not dirty but I will make you wash it about two hundred times today and I'm keeping the record. " she paused but Becca continued, pretending not to hear her. Rosalyn continued. "for saying to my face that your Job isn't to save Diane but to work...boom! " she said hysterically. "You will do the work tonight and no release by three AM.  You will work from now on till 10:00 pm tomorrow.

Becca pretended as if the words didn't get to her but she was sweating profusely under hidden tension.

Amelia entered the ward where her roommate was. She sat on the bed facing the wall when Amelia entered.

"hi, Loreal! I hope you are good today! " she said formally and went to sit beside her.

The lady still faced the wall without turning to look at her. Amelia smiled and leaned closer to her.

"You should look at me or I may have to do something worse," she said coldly and the lady faced her in fear.

Loreal's face and neck were severely burnt, her nose and eyes couldn't be traced either and the only thing that could be recognised was her lips which were slightly parted.

Amelia began "You can't talk or see anymore." she giggled and continued. "thought acid was an old-fashioned thing but damn...I love it." she smiled devilishly. "listen attentively! Miguel Martinez planned to execute the Armitage not me...which means that anyone who tries to make me suffer must suffer also." she said coldly and then sat upright talking a bit louder.

"the good thing is that...you won't have to be stuck in this school trying to read for exams or trying to survive. Don't think much about that," she said in a friendly way and stood up leaving the girl trembling with an emotion that no one could read.

Room 318 door opened wide and Rosalyn saw Diane entering the room. One part of her wanted to cry and the other part wanted to scream in joy as she hugged Diane.

"oh, my Diane! She exclaimed. How are you. " she asked happily.

"I miss you Rosalyn!" she said pulling away from the hug gently and sitting on Rosalyn's bed.

"You had a Gonzalez to watch over me... That's very nice of you."

Rosalyn smiled "She's my east friend's aunt. I didn't know what to do...so I asked for her help."

"She is the nicest person over there and why didn't you check on me?... My parents were dying to see you before they left and they got me a new phone too...would have called but I don't know your number offhand." Diane explained.

"cool! I was punished for the other night!  I have to be on hostel arrest till tomorrow... From the time I left you at the hospital. " she smiled warmly as she looked at Diane in a way that said she admired her more.

"I'm so sorry...So you had to stay indoors.. "

"...yes but was allowed to attend classes... Others are on four weeks' suspension. " Rosalyn explained. "I'd like you to meet Emily Gonzalez tomorrow."

"oh! That's cool and Emily... I've heard the name somewhere but can't remember. " Diane said trying to think hard.

"She is the East's president and more like you. I'm sure you will like her...so don't think much about it" Rosalyn said as she sat down beside Diane.

Hannah looked tensed as she and Elon stood right in front of the cage. They looked at each other and then looked at the people inside.

Elon cleared his throat loudly enough to wake them up. The woman flinched at the sight of Elon and Hannah holding her daughter in a defensive way as the teenagers moved closer to their mother.

Hannah sighed deeply. "we are not here to hurt you and we will never hurt you... " she said calmly and the woman looked at her in disbelief. She continued. "we might have taken away your freedom but we only did that to protect you."

The woman looked at her as if she was waiting for her to ask her for something.  "I'm sure you know that I want to ask about Bob's whereabouts and that is true," Hannah said calmly.

Elon and the woman's eyes met and he smiled.  "My name is Elon Bellingham and her mum is also a Bellingham," he said in a low tone as he pointed at Hannah. "Bob's bloodline has been eradicated by the Bellinghams because they see you guys as a threat and Bob is the only Jado alive...maybe also you and your children." the woman's eyes opened wide. "I'm sure you don't even know about this... The Bellingham standing beside me called me one afternoon that She was sent to kill Bob, his wife and children being her first day as an Execution officer... She couldn't do it and she called me instead.  She gave me your location...we both got to your compound with the guys and found you sleeping peacefully. Told five to take you guys and told others to kill your guards. "  he swallowed hard before he continued.

"she left with you and the five guys while I stayed back to burn my men in your mansion to keep this shit a secret. After locking you in here, you know what happened? We killed my remaining five guys going back home to tell the family that Bob was strong...he and his guys killed all our guys after we killed you and your children before Hannah finally graded him. They believed us because they always did and the burnt mansion was also confirmed...we have been keeping you here for your safety and ours..."

Hannah interrupted. "Bob has no idea that our family have something against them and I'm sure that sooner or later, Bob will go to our family for help...they will find out about you guys and us and we will all die.  Something we could have prevented before we decided to help you."

"How do I believe all these." the woman questioned weakly.

"When Bob goes to my family we all die. " Hannah replied nonchalantly.

"We need to find Bob...but we want you to know that if you decide to fight back later... Think twice that it was also the Bellingham that saved you." Elon said in a casual tone.

"We have no time...we must find Bob and

We will find you a place." Hannah said as she opened the cage.

The woman looked into their eyes briefly before signalling to their children to follow her. "Bob is at Mac's"

"where is mac's?" Hannah asked. "never heard about that."

"I will take you there." the woman

said and was about to move when Hannah stopped her.

"I don't know if I can trust you or something

...scared you might strangle us and run. " Hannah said coldly.

Elon looked at Hannah in disbelief before facing the woman. "uhm...Felizy....

I hope you don't find that offensive... she's just scared..."

"I understand...we will find Bob only if we leave early," Felizy said, facing Hannah.

Emily was in class early as usual, she was busy typing on her phone when Rosalyn got there.

"Emily! Look who I have with me." Rosalyn said happily and Emily looked up to see the person.

Emily's face brightened when she saw Diane. She stood up immediately and hugged her tightly which made Diane uncomfortable.

Rosalyn sensed it and separated them, pretending as if she wanted to take a sit beside Emily.

"you found her!" Emily said almost in tears.

Diane looked at her, confused and also took her seat.

"she's my roommate...I know you are happy to meet her but you are overreacting." Rosalyn whispered to Emily as she also took her seat.

"she's the one I've been looking for...the first person I met here." Emily said as she glanced at Diane who pretended as if she had never met Emily. "told you she's not friendly but she's cool."

"she's friendly...maybe not to you.." Rosalyn said but remembered that Diane does not relate with people for example her first encounter with Becca. Maybe she was just lucky. "... and other people too." she glanced over at Diane who was already preparing for the lecture.

Femi Bertok opened the freezer and closed it back holding a chilled beer. He turned only to see a black woman staring at him as if she wanted to break him into pieces.  Femi slowly turned and returned the beer.

"How many times have I told you not to take anything alcoholic again?" she said and Femi turned to her but dared not to look into her eyes.

"I looked for a nonalcoholic wine but it's not available."

"I'm sure you were not expelled because you had a party. I'm sure you must have gotten yourself drunk somehow. If you know that you want to drink anything other than water then it should be fruit juice." She said and Femi's face brightened up as he looked over her shoulder but dared not to smile.

"what is funny?" she asked angrily.

"Nothing mum and secondly I wasn't expelled. It's just a four-week suspension. " Femi grumbled.

"why don't you leave and save your mother from the stress." A white man said from behind but Femi dared not to take a step as his mother shot him a dagger look.

She looked at her husband and left. Femi let out a relieving breath and his father shrugged.

Femi and his father sat on the roof of the house, both looking at the sky as they took a mouthful of the beer in their hands. Femi swallowed happily and smiled at his dad.

"you have no idea what it feels like to have a Nigerian mum...always strict when you are not expecting it.." he said in frustration.

"she's my wife..." he said as he looked at her from the roof, she was doing her things in the garden.

"she said non-alcoholic wine is alcoholic. How does that even make sense?" Femi said as he stretched his hand in frustration, the beer bottle slipped from his hand and landed directly in front of his mother in the garden.

She looked at the bottle in awe as she traced it back to the father and son on the roof,  looking down at her perturbed.