Chapter 3— The tale of Lady Koi koi

Eniola was in the dining room when a junior student came to tell her the principal was expecting her in her office.

She was in the principal's office waiting for the woman and she had waited for almost an hour and the woman was yet to come. She regretted leaving her food to answer the principal

If she had know, she would at least have eaten her meat instead of leaving her food thinking she was only going to be gone for a short time.

To pass the time and break her boredom, she had examined everything in the office.

From the mahogany table, to the ruler, the empty pen holder with the half chewed pen cover. She had looked around to make sure there were no cameras and tried to sign in to the laptop on the table.

From shaking the curtain, she had found out that it was in need of washing and the air conditioner leaked water soaking the rug which was the cause of the damp smell in the room.

The principal's chair, on the other hand was so comfortable, she wanted to roll it back and sleep.

The principal entered when She was about to stand up from her chair to try another one of her guesses on what the password of the laptop was.

"Good afternoon ma" she greeted.

"Good afternoon, my dear" she patted her back. "Hope you haven't been waiting for a long time ?"

"for about an hour"

"ehuh, I'm so sorry, I went to get something outside the school and that delayed me

Eniola noticed the cooler in her hands and guessed the something to be food

"How are your classes going? Hope you are reading your books?"

"Yes ma, I am reading, the classes are good too"

"Your mother called me yesterday, she expressed her worries over your studies"

Eniola snorted ìn her mind. She had the urge to fall on the floor, throw back her head, clap her hand and laugh.

Worried, her mother was never worried, not for her, not even for Simi. She simply couldn't be bothered to be worried. If money could do it and money could do everything, mama wouldn't be worried

Mama had no qualms with cutting corners. She had paid Simi's teachers to pass her and mama had done the same for her. She paid someone to write Simi's WASSCE and Mama would do the same for her. She still paid People to write Simi's exams in medical school. Mama had no reason to be worried.

"Your first test is already around the corner, Read hard, study well ehn" The principal advised.

"yes ma".

"If you don't still pass after, there are a lot of steps we can take, the peer to peer study. the group study, group lesson and even private lessons with the teacher, you don't need worry ehn."

"Yes má"

While all these efforts were good, Eniola wished the woman didn't bother. She was dull and nothing could change it. It was a truth she had long accepted .

Mama would come to see the principal when the time Came.

She wondered how much mama would have to give the principal to buy her over.

Eniola looked around the office and thought not much. The woman looked like she was desperately in need of some money. She could picture the look of gratitude on the woman's face, when she saw her bank alert.

Mama never gave a cheque, the money was always transferred immediately.

"you can go and have your siesta now"

"Thank you ma".

★★★

The class was deadly silent, though about thirty people were present.

The students were meant to be studying for their upcoming test but that was not the reason why the class was quiet that night.

It was the girl staying all by herself at one corner of the class.

Eniola couldn't tell if she was asleep and sleep talking or if she was awake and talking to herself.

The girl kept on moaning.

After, it sounded like she was trying to scream and someone was holding a hand over her mouth. It sounded muffled.

People were reluctant to wake her. Partly because she kept on flinging her arms like she was struggling with someone and partly because it was a strange sight for most.

" Please leave me" the girl whispered.

At another time, the girl shouted. "stay away from me"

Eniola flinched. She was pretty loud.

The girl began to cry. It was filled with anguish.

"Ehh wake up" Helen shook the girl awake.

She didn't do that unharmed. One of the girl's flying hand struck Helen's right eye

Eniola couldn't see the girl's face. The girl was turned away from her and Eniola would have had to stand up and walk to the front .

"Who is the girl" Eniola whispered to Olanna.

"Ireti. She is Yoruba like you._

"Wake up, you are disturbing the class with your shouts" Helen shook the girl harshly.

The girl jerked up

That was harsh.

She was about to stand up and warn Helen. When she saw the boy from her first day at class saunter pass her like he owned the class.

She bent to Olanna, and pointed discreetly at the boy. "What's that boy's name?"

She had forgotten to ask with all her concerns with enjoying her time and preparing for the test she was sure to fail.

"That's Michael, he's the school president." She said absentmindedly.

She turned to look at Helen. "Se, he is very fine?". She asked in a conspiratorial tone.

"Helen, why are you talking to her like that? do you always have to be mean to others?" He asked.

Eniola admitted that he was fine and that his voice sent shivers through her, the good ones.

Helen had the grace to look ashamed and Eniola was thankful that she wasn't Helen.

"She was making noise and distracting everyone." Helen whined. She stomped back to her seat.

He shook his head and bent his hed to the girl's head.

He probably said something to the girl because she nodded. She looked out from behind his shoulders.

Eniola couldn't define what she felt at that moment.

Why couldn't it be any other person? It was the girl from the other day.

She wanted to scream.

Sure the girl was fine, but there was nothing special about her. Eniola quickly scanned the girl from what she could see of the girl.

The class was still quiet, watching the scene play out.

The girl looked around and must have noticed everyone was looking at her because the next thing she did was, she was covered her face and sat back on her chair.

Michael left, brought his chair and his books and sat beside her.

Eniola was angry.

"Oh my God, nobody told me we had freaks in this class." Eniola commented

Immediately Eniola's words left her mouth, she regretted saying them. And the laughter it solicited from her classmates died down when Michael turned and glared at her.

Now, he would think she was as tactless as Helen.

"Are you sure she isn't possessed? Or maybe lady koi koi is disturbing her"

That's when Eniola noticed the argument between Helen and her seatmate.

"who is lady koi koi again, Helen? You are always telling tales" A boy that Eniola didn't know said.

"I'm not always telling tales, and lady koi koi is real"

"okay" he Said. Sacastically

"Seriously" she sounded like she wanted to cry.

"Okay, so who is lady koi koi?" Another boy asked.

"Lady koi koi is.." Eniola looked at Micheal . He sat beside Ireti girl and their heads were bent over something.

Eniola could have given her right hand to know what.

"...She was a teacher who loved to wear a particular set of red heels. She was very wicked to the students and whenever she was around, the students could tell because of the sound are red heel made, koi, koi, koi. One night, during prep, she fell asleep and some boys stole a leg of her red heels and ran away. When she woke up it was dark, she began searching for the shoe, she fell and broke her neck. Till today, her ghost harasses students looking for her missing shoe till."

"So what are you expected to do when you see her?" the boy asked

"You won't see her, just a red heel and you will hear koi, koi. You should shout Lady koi koi or put on a light and she will leave you." Helen answered

The bell rang, night prep was over.

Eniola stood up and left the class without looking at the duo bent over a textbook.