Chapter 4 (The Bribery Scandal)

She was Keres outside the school walls and Sally when she was in the school. Keres was practically living a double life and planned to end it all the moment she got what she wanted but along with living the double life she automatically had a brother overnight. Ian. Living with him in the church was pure horror for her. The boy snored like he was alone in the room and she wondered why the Priest let them share a room when they were both of the opposite sex. Maybe he trusted her too much or thought Ian was gay or something. She planned to tell their classmates of the fake sibling relationship if they ever asked but the students began interrogating her once she got to school about her whereabouts with Ian the previous day. She felt like she was going through it all over. It was like she was trapped in cage with people pointing fingers at her. Emma was shouting at the top of her voice. She thought if she could choke her it would do her a lot of good.

"Sorry. One at a time, please" She said with a smile

Emma pushed her way forward. If anyone was going to be asking the questions it had to be her.

"So, you were acting up?" She asked

"What do you mean?" Sally asked

"Sally don't lie. Nikolay told us everything already!" Sandra said It was about the fake belly ache.

"I wanted to leave class. It was boring" Sally said

"You like Ian?" Emma asked

"Huh?" Sally asked

"Legend told me you said you have a crush on him" Emma said. Shoot! She had said that at some point. Emma had made Ian her betrothed so telling Legend she had feelings for Ian was similar to the poor girl in a Filipino drama saying she liked the rich guy who had a bitch as a fiancee.

"Sally likes me?" Ian walked in from the back. Sally thanked the Lord he came at that moment. He placed his arms around her shoulders making her wish he didn't appear. Emma was giving her the evil eye.

"I doubt that, since siblings can't have crushes on each other" he added. Oh, now was the perfect moment to tell everyone they were siblings.

"Siblings?!" Sandra asked

"Yes, the Priest adopted us both so I live in the church. You finally know" he said. The students were having a hard time processing what they just heard

"Why didn't you say so before?" Emma asked

"I didn't want anyone to talk too much about us" he said

"Then what about the time you told me you liked Ian? What was that about?" Legend asked

"I was writing a short story and I needed to get some response line since I was having a hard time" Sally said. Man, was she good at lying?

"You should have just said that. I would have helped you out" Legend said

"So you guys are siblings?" Ray asked still finding it hard to believe

"Didn't you just hear what he said?" Oscar asked

"But are you from the same parents? Sandra asked. If you're not then that means you're just siblings on paper" she said

The questions were not going to come to an end soon. It was annoying

"We have the same parents" Sally said

"Oh..." The students said in unison

"Is that all? I think that's all" Sally felt happy she had succeeded in shutting them all up

"Is Nikolay sleeping?" Ian asked

"Yeah, I think so but don't say anything. He might be listening" Ray whispered. Ian leaned close to Nikolay and blew air on his face

"You must be angry at us for ditching you yesterday, huh?" he said. Nikolay stood up and walked out of the classroom

"I told you not to say anything!" Ray said

Mrs. Peters turned Sally into her lackey while they were at school. It was something she wouldn't dare do to her when she was Keres but inside the school she had full control. She had sent numerous students to Sally's class while classes were ongoing to meet with her in the Teacher's room. It was her way of getting revenge on her for getting her question right the first day she arrived. Sally planned on getting back at her through Hunter. She smiled to herself thinking about all the lies she was going to tell about Mrs. Peters as she walked into the Teacher's room. She was told she wasn't there but at the smelly basketball court. Sally walked in and began to call for her but she was definitely not there. Was she playing hide and seek with her?

"Why are you here again?"

She turned around and found Nikolay sitting on the floor beside the boards. Why was he always there?

"I came here to find someone, too bad I bumped into you" she said "Hey, don't be angry at Ian for leaving you yesterday, he's just an idiot" added

"Really? Is that something you should say about your brother? Who's older anyway?" He asked

"Ray was right. You were listening" she muttered. "Anyway, I'm older and if he's an idiot, why do I need to hide it?" she asked

"Ian West, Sally Hall. The last names are really similar" he said

She wondered if the questions were going to continue with him

"We took from both our parents last names" she said

"Do you think I'd ever believe anything you'll say again after that stunt you pulled yesterday?" he asked

"Believe it or not, we're siblings" she said and made to leave

"I forgot to ask, she said turning around. How did your talk with Legend go the other day?" she asked

"What do you care?" he asked angrily

"You're right, I should mind my business" she said and made to leave

A ball from a pile dropped and bounced off to hit the back of her head

"Ah!" she winced in pain. She thought Nikolay threw it at her.

"Nikolay Die...!" she started and turned around

"What?" he asked

"Your last name is Diego?"

"You're the only one left in this school who doesn't know" he said

"Does your family perhaps own Diego Enterprise?" she asked

They did indeed. The man she was out to destroy was his Father. He hesitated for a moment then placed his earphones on his ears

"No!"

Sally turned around. "Figures, there could be other Diegos. That bastard isn't the only Diego in the world" she said walking away

Keres was the goddess of sanitation and Ian was the exact opposite. After her hatred for Diego Enterprise, the sight of dirt followed and Ian wasn't doing a good job in considering that he wasn't the only one in the room. He sat on her bed with his legs in the air, eating from a bag of biscuits and dropping the crumbs on the floor.

"How do you plan on exposing the Diegos?" He asked

"Why're you asking me? Ask Hunter" she said pushing him away from her bed. He dropped the biscuits bag and made for his face cream. As if he wasn't going to use it the next day he threw the whole thing in his hands and began applying it on his face

"Dude, that's too much face cream" she said

"Really?" He asked and dropped the bottle. He turned towards her and smiled wickedly. It was his turn to get on her nerves

"Just for the record, I'm not involved with the demolition and reconstruction at North Valley two years ago in any way. I'm just doing this because Hurricane begged me to join you guys" he said

"I guess my skills are needed" he added

"And just for the record, I joined Black Cat because I'm involved with the demolition and reconstruction in North Valley from two years ago so if you try to get in my way or mess things up for me, I'll mess you up" she said

"Harsh" he said lying on his bed

"But isn't this Priest kind of stupid? I mean, he let a grown up boy and girl share the same room with out any fear of... You know" he said waiting for her to complete the sentence

"I don't know what you are talking about and I think he thinks you're gay" she said

"What?!" He asked surprised

"Besides, I'm not just any girl and this is a church so if you're foolish enough to try anything in the presence of God then you can accept the consequences" she said

He stared at her without a word

"What?" She asked

"That sounded almost like a sermon. Don't you think the Priest is rubbing off his spiritual gift on you?" he asked

"Ian, shut up and go to sleep" she said

"Yes Mom"

The news that morning wasn't a pleasant one for Diego Enterprise. The bribery story from the school had gotten out and Ian and Sally were the whistle blowers. Delta High; the lead actor in the entire story was more busy than ever that day. The Teachers had to shut the school gates so the press wouldn't get in and begin interrogating the students. That was the right thing to do because the children loved gossip more than their books and them talking to the reporters was going to blow the whole thing out of proportion. The students stood by their classroom windows watching the reporters attentively.

"Dude, why are there reporters in our school?" Oscar asked Ray

"Didn't you see the news? Some students have been giving bribes to get promoted into the next class. Diego Enterprise personally takes the bribe. Not just the Principal" Ray said

"I heard the test and exam sheets of these students were also handed to the press" Sandra added

"That means it's an insider" Legend said

"Or maybe someone who just got sick of seeing dull students getting promoted when they were supposed to get kicked out of the school" Sally said from her desk

"What's so special about this school anyway? Why pay money to remain here when you can transfer?" She asked

"This is the top school in town" Ray said

"Every influential fellow wants his child to come here" Sandra added

"Who knows the identities of the students who are involved?" Emma asked

"No one knows" Ray answered

"What's going to happen to Diego Enterprise now? This news is going to be bad for their image" Oscar said as they walked back to their desks

"What do you think, Nikolay? About what's happening" Ian asked. He knew he was the heir to Diego Enterprise. Nikolay glared at him. He had been quiet all through trying not to get involved with their discussion about his Father. Everyone could see he wasn't too pleased with Ian trying to include him in the conversation

"Why're you asking him?" Emma asked

"He's got to make a contribution too. I mean it's our school we're talking about here" Ian said. That made sense.

"He's right" Sandra said

"Yeah, say something Nikolay" Oscar said

All the students turned towards his direction. They waited for the heir to Diego Enterprise to give his take on the situation.

"Well, the person who exposed it did well but of course Diego Enterprise would cover it up as false news. They're capable of doing that much" he said

"So, bottom line is, the insider wasted his or her time" he added

"What?!" Sally said turning around.

"Did you just say it was a waste of time?" she asked

"Yeah, it is" he said looking at her

"What if that person proves it wasn't a waste of time? What would you do then?" she asked. Ian began pinching her. She was going to give them out.

"I'd do whatever you want" he said

"Then just you wait, that person will prove it wasn't a waste of time" she said making her fist into a ball

"Well, if you know that person you can tell him or her to hurry the hell up and prove it to me" he said and walked out of the classroom

"What's his deal? So rude and arrogant" she said

"That's just how he is" Legend said

"Then he needs medical checkup immediately because he isn't okay in the head!" She said and faced the board angrily

"Why are you taking it personally anyway?" Sandra asked

"Yeah, you seem to be on the side of the this informer slash insider" Oscar said

"If you see something bad going on, would you stay quiet?!" She asked

"No, I mean...." Oscar tried to start

"You mean what? If you wouldn't stay quiet then why should that insider stay quiet? Or are you one of the students who were promoted even when they failed?!" she asked

"No way!" Oscar flared up

"Then shut the fuck up!" she shouted gripping her ball pen. Oscar backed away, frightened at her actions. Ian looked at her wondering why she was all worked up. He grabbed her arm and turned her to him. The look in her eyes was different.

"Calm down" he whispered. Mrs. Andre walked in to find her class so quiet. She was alarmed.

"What's wrong?" She asked. They were all busy waiting for Sally's next move to even hear her.

"Miss Hall? What's wrong?" She asked

"Nothing's wrong Ma'am" Ian said smiling "Look away" he told the students. They reluctantly drew their eyes away from her disappointed they didn't see more.

"Um, Mrs. Andre what's going to happen to our school now?" Legend asked trying to clear the tension

"Just let it be" Mrs. Andre said

"I'm asking as Class President" Legend insisted

"Leave it for the adults to decide, okay? The Teachers would still come to teach and you're all expected to learn and abstain from causing trouble" she said and walked out

"Class President, what Teacher is coming in first?" Ray asked

"Biology, Mrs. Peters" Legend said

"No...." the students groaned

"This morning, we're going to be discussing on a topic similar to what has been going on around the school" she said walking in

"Parasites!" Mrs. Peters began

During lunch hour Sally and Ian had to excuse themselves to have a meeting with Mrs. Peters at the basketball court and Sally was still not over Nikolay saying they wasted their time in trying to expose Diego Enterprise's Bribery and Corruption. Ian was still surprised at her sudden outburst but pretended to be having a blast. Perhaps it would help her calm down.

"Talk about going undercover" he said

"What do you mean?" She asked

"You obviously took the whole whistle blowing thing about the school so personal even Sandra noticed" he said picking up a ball

"Well, you shouldn't have asked that arrogant Nikolay for his opinion. I tried my best to keep my mouth shut but when he said it was a waste of time? Gosh, I was so pissed" she said

"Do you have any idea what I went through to retrieve those files we sent to PBY news?" she asked

"So, you're blaming me?" he asked taking a shot. The ball went in and bounced back to Sally

"No. Nikolay saying it was a waste of time only means that everything we've been working hard for, our revenge plan on Diego Enterprise for rendering people homeless, causing them to commit suicides, start gambling, become robbers and killers just so they'd make a living. He said the revenge we seek for those people is just a waste of time, don't you get it?" she asked

"The way you two argue, Mrs. Peters said walking in. Someone outside could hear you" she added

"What took you so long? Lunch is almost over" Sally said

"Are you hungry?" Mrs. Peters asked

"Well if you are hungry it should be the hunger for revenge" she added. Ian hated talk like that

"What do you mean now?" He groaned

"I just confirmed during the board meeting with the top officials from Diego Enterprise that the news about the bribery would be covered up as fake news and they urged the Teachers and students involved not to panic" Mrs. Peters said

"Nikolay was right, it was indeed a waste of time" Ian said disappointedly

"Shut the hell up before I kill you!" Sally exploded

"That's not all, right?" she asked Mrs. Peters

"Of course not. The listening device I planted in the Principal's office finally paid off today" Mrs. Peters said

"Diego himself was here" she added

"Diego? As in Diego, Diego? Diego the CEO of Diego Enterprise?" Ian asked

"Yes, that's what she said so shut up" Sally said

"What did he say?" she asked Mrs. Peters

"He asked the Principal not to worry and carry on with the school's activities as if nothing happened because he has all the evidence regarding the bribery story in his house" Mrs. Peters said

"His house?!" Ian and Sally asked at once

"Yeah, his house" Mrs. Peters replied

"Wow, he's one rotten bastard!" Sally said

"Yeah, he is. Hunter has given instructions for you to retrieve them tonight from his house and hand them over to the press through Ian" Mrs. Peters said

"So, you've spoken to Hunter before you came to us?" Sally asked

"Yeah, he's the leader" Mrs. Peters replied

"Hold on, you're going to retrieve these so called evidence Diego said he has in his house by your self?" Ian asked

Sally nodded

"Are you insane? They're going to be guards around, plus do you think he hasn't gotten rid of them after the news went out?" Ian asked

"That's why she's going tonight since the news only got out this morning" Mrs. Peters said "He's a busy business man so I'm sure he hasn't gotten home from trying to sort out the trouble we caused" she added

"But Sally, it's risky! Let's try to get them in another way, this won't work out. Going into his house? No way" he said

"Tell that to Hunter yourself and see how he'd throw you out" Sally said

"Darn it!" Ian cursed

"Seems like you don't know, but Sally here is a professional at her job even though she's young" Mrs. Peters said

"Yeah, I read her profile. She got abducted when she was ten and then began her training as a mercenary for eight years while working under her abductors. They finally sold her out and thankfully the people who bought her let her go after she finished a job for them"

"Learning about what happened at North Valley, she decided to help" he said

"So what's your point?" he asked

"My point is she's good at what she does so don't worry about her" she said

"Just get the things I need for tonight ready and make sure I don't have to check" Sally said and walked

The weather was gloomy, just like Sally's mood that afternoon. She walked into the football field kicking dirt with her foot. Ian brought up memories by mentioning her past and she really wasn't in the mood to feel nostalgic. Nikolay who owned the field saw her walk in and thought she was back to her delivery business.

"Hey! Why are you here again? Did Legend ask you to get me something?"

"What are you? Her hand maid?" he asked

She kept walking like she didn't hear him talk because he was the least of her problems. Getting the evidence from Diego's home was not going to be a piece of cake. Nikolay was surprised she didn't talk back at him like she did back at the class.

Ian went after her and began his pep talk on how one should always love themselves no matter what happened to them in the past, present or future. The rain met them on the field and Ian used the opportunity to administer mud on Sally's shoes. Nikolay too sat under the rain watching the brother and sister scene. He wanted to believe they were really siblings but the fact that they were both liars kept stopping him. Legend and the rest at the class were surprised to see the three of them walk back in all soaked from the rain. They wondered if Nikolay actually stayed out in the rain with them. It wasn't a surprise with Ian because he always did gross things and with Sally, you'd never know. Nikolay was quite the shock to them.