Chapter Thirteen

Mr. Stone took a good look at Jackson before speaking.

"Jackson Wicket of all people? Korah, what is it with your horrible taste in friends?" Mr. Stone asked. "First that drug trafficking girl, then this talkative boy and now the jock who always throws paper plans at me whenever I'm teaching."

"I also wonder why I have such a horrible taste in friends, Sir," Korah gritted his teeth, looking at Jackson in the eyes.

"What happened to your eye, Jackson?" Mr. Stone asked.

"Uhm... A football was thrown at me during practice," Jackson lied.

"Don't you wear a helmet during practice?"

"Yes but I took mine off when I was resting and suddenly a football came flying at me and hit me in the eye," Jackson replied.

"Sorry about that," Mr. Stone said and then looked at the wall clock that was hung just above the entrance door of the Computer Lab. "Korah, isn't your time up?"

"Ah, Mr. Stone," Andrew reached over the desk and grabbed Mr. Stone's hands, "I have been talking about myself all this while and never gave you the chance to talk about yourself. Tell me some stories about you."

"Look, Andrew," Mr. Stone said, pulling his hands out of Andrew's, "I'm a teacher and you're a student. We should have some boundaries. Treat me with the respect I deserve. And why would I talk to you about my personal life?"

"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, Mr. Stone," Andrew leaned into his chair and picked at the invisible dirt between his nails. "You should know that students spread false rumours about teachers in the school. I don't think you want to be that teacher that all students make fun of behind their backs."

"Why should I care when I know that the rumours are all false?" Mr. Stone asked.

"If you say so, Mr. Stone. I guess we'll forever refer to you as Mr. No-No or Mr. Dumped," Andrew said, slowly getting up from his seat.

Jackson gasped and put a hand over his mouth feigning shock, "Andrew, you weren't supposed to tell him!"

"What? What do the names mean?" Mr. Stone asked, worried that his reputation was being tarnished by the students.

"The rumour is that you are such a cold hearted man and have not even one funny bone in you, so you say no to everything and because of this you have been dumped by every woman that you have gone out with, including your two ex-wives," Jackson replied.

"N-No! That's not true at all!"

"Then tell me what the actual truth is," Andrew said.

"I dumped all my three ex-wives! Not them! They didn't dump me!"

"So it was three ex-wives not two?" Jackson asked. "That's gonna be more entertainment for us as we talk about you."

"Jackson!" Mr. Stone yelled angrily. "If you're going to gossip about me then at least tell the truth!"

"Calm down, Mr. Stone, and just tell me everything," Andrew said in a soothing tone.

"I met my first wife when I was twenty-three and let me tell you this, she was not beautiful..."

Seeing that Mr. Stone was completely distracted, Jackson made his way over to Esther, Lisa and Korah. He pulled out the phone from the pocket of his trousers and placed it on the table where the computer sat.

"Here's the phone. Its battery is completely charged because it has been off since we resumed school," Jackson pulled up a chair and sat beside Lisa.

"What exactly did you tell him?" Korah asked Lisa.

"Everything," Lisa replied.

"What do you mean by everything?" Korah asked.

"What don't you understand?" Jackson asked. "Everything means everything. I know that you guys are looking for the missing students and that Principal Winter is a fraud and you're planning to expose him through the media. That is why you need my phone."

"How could you tell him?" Korah asked Lisa.

"Esther told you."

"Yeah... but I'm me and he's him," Korah replied.

"Yes but he's also someone whose help we need right now," Esther said, "let's give him a chance."

Korah grunted and folded his arms, "Why should we trust him?"

"Why should we trust you?" Esther asked.

"B-because I'm your friend," Korah stammered.

"And Jackson's Lisa's boyfriend. Andrew and Lisa didn't know you either when I suggested you to them," Esther said.

"But you guys were in desperate need for my help," Korah said.

"And now you're in desperate need for mine," Jackson said. "Just do what you need to do and stop wasting time."

"I'm sorry, Korah and Esther, for telling him without asking you guys first but what's done is done. I can't go back in time now. We might as well take advantage of the situation and just use the phone," Lisa said.

"Korah opened his mouth to speak but Esther placed her hand on his shoulder, "Just cool down, Korah. We don't have time for this. Just go as you planned and upload the article."

Korah took a deep breath and carried on with what he was doing initially. "I made the fake account while you were away, Lisa. It is called @anonymous101."

"What do you need done next?" Lisa asked.

"Take a photo of the documents using the phone."

Esther placed the documents that were in her hands on the table. Lisa then took pictures of each document one after the other.

"Did the photos come out nice?" Jackson asked.

"Yeah," Lisa replied, "the camera of this phone is amazing."

"Thanks," Jackson replied.

"What next?" Esther asked.

"Uhm, I'm actually typing the article right now but I need to use evidence and that evidence is the photos that are on the phone right now. I need to transfer the documents from the phone to the computer using a Universal Serial Bus cable."

"What's your point?" Esther asked.

"The cables are all kept under the desk. Check for a USB cable that I can use to connect the phone to the computer."

The three went under the desk in search of a USB cable. It was a herculean task seeing that there were many cables and wires under the table and they were all entwined.

It was after a moment that Jackson jumped up from underneath the table and yelled, "I found it!"

"Found what?" Mr. Stone asked.

"Another nickname for you," Jackson placed the cable on the table and laughed.

"Y-You... chicken!" Mr. Stone slammed his fist onto his desk.

"Just ignore him and continue telling me what you were saying," Andrew said, sending Jackson a not so playful glare.

"Right, where was I?" Mr. Stone said and went back to narrating the story of his life.

Jackson plugged one end of the USB cable into his phone and the other end into the computer.

Esther and Lisa then stood up and focused all their attention on what Korah was typing. It took Korah about fifteen minutes to finish the article, upload the photos and post the article.

"Finally, I'm done," Korah said, leaning back into his chair, "I have never typed so fast in my life. I feel like my fingers are about to fall off."

"Can I read it?" Jackson, who had zoned out during the entire typing session, asked.

"No," Korah replied blankly.

"Korah," Esther sent him a warning glare.

"Sorry, mom," Korah said and then stood up from his chair. "Fine, you can read it but hurry up. I'm also planning to erase the camera footages for this week."

Jackson occupied Korah's seat and began reading the document.

THE TRUE IDENTITY OF PRINCIPAL EVAN WINTER

Principal Evan Winter, the principal of Preston Preparatory Academy, one of the top schools in London, has been the head of the school since the year 2015. However, Evan Winter is also hiding secrets of his own.

Evan Winter is not only the false name of the principal but he also a criminal on the run. The true name of Mr. Winter is Eugene Walter.

Eugene Walter is wanted criminal in the United States on several accounts of robbery, identity theft and fraud. Eugene Walter did not only become the principal of the school under a false identity but he has also been extracting money from the parents of students at Preston Preparatory Academy.

The following are proof of Principal Evan Winter's fraud:

At the end of the article were the pictures of the documents collected from Princiapl Winter's office and a link leading to the wanted article of Eugene Walter.

"It took you fifteen minutes to type and upload this article?" Jackson asked.

"Yes," Korah replied, "I had to transfer the files, then proof read it and the school's Wi-Fi connection is slow due to our location. Now get up, I have to erase the camera footage."

Jackson stood up from the chair and Korah hacked into the school's camera system and edited the footage.

"I only edited the camera footage. I cut out the part where we were discussing our plans," Korah said, turning of the computer and then standing up. "I'm done."

Lisa gave Korah a fist bump, "Good job, young man."

"I'm older than you and let's not celebrate too soon. It may take quite some time before the article goes viral," Korah said.

Jackson grabbed his phone from the table and placed it in his pocket while Esther and Lisa took the chairs back to where they belonged. When the four were done they walked to Mr. Stone's desk.

"We're done, Mr. Stone," Korah said.

"Ssh!" Andrew shushed him. "This is interesting."

"Andrew!" Esther yelled, dragging him back to reality. It was when he looked up and saw that the others were ready to go that he realised they were done.

"Are you done?" Mr. Stone asked, looking at the wall clock. "Goodness! How did time move so quickly? Lunch time is almost over."

"Yes, time does move quickly," Korah agreed.

"Okay, I see that you arranged the chairs and that everything looks in order, you may leave and never return... unless it's time for ICT class," Mr. Stone said.

"Thank you very much for letting us use the computers today, Mr. Stone," Esther said.

"No problem. I'm good as long as I don't owe you any more, Korah," Mr. Stone said.

Andrew stood up from his chair and placed it in the correct place, "I'll see you later, Mr. Stone."

"Alright, Andrew."

"And I'll be sure to correct those false rumours about you."

"Alright, thank you."

The five then walked out of the Computer Lab with smiles on their faces.

"Did you complete what you had to do?" Andrew asked.

"Mhm," Korah nodded his head.

"You were fast," Andrew said, "I was getting to know more about Mr. Stone and his three ex-wives."

"Speaking about Mr. Stone, you'll have to tell us what he told you sometime," Jackson said.

"What the heck is he doing here?" Andrew asked, realising that he never received an explanation on how Jackson became part of the squad.

"I have an idea," Esther said, stopping in her tracks, causing the others to stop walking as well. "Let's meet tonight during our free time, after dinner, to celebrate and get to know each other more."

"What exactly are we celebrating? We haven't accomplished anything yet," Andrew said.

"That is true but let's celebrate to making new friends," Esther said. "It has been a little over a week since we got together and we actually accomplished something by uploading that article. We've done the best in our ability if you ask me."

"That's nice," Andrew said.

"Okay, Lisa and I have to go," Jackson said, taking a hold of Lisa's hand. "She promised to cook some ramen noodles for me."

"Ooh, can I join in?" Andrew asked.

"Are you always hungry?" Esther asked.

"Shush! I wasn't talking to you," Andrew said, keeping his eyes to Jackson.

"I don't like sharing and even if I did I only have two packs," Jackson replied.

"Stingy," Andrew mumbled.

The five bid their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

It was after dinner at 8 PM that the five got together to celebrate their friendship. They decided to make a cake.

Andrew brought the sugar and milk while Jackson brought soda and eggs. Korah asked Bertha for permission to use the kitchen and its foodstuffs. The girl prepared the cake batter and placed it in the oven to bake.

"Around how long will it take to bake the cake?" Korah asked.

"Thirty-five minutes tops," Lisa replied.

"What's the event?" Bertha asked, washing up the plates that were used by the students.

"Oh, right. Let me help you with that, Bertha," Korah said, making his way over to the sink to help her.

"Is there a birthday party or something?" Bertha asked.

"No, we're just celebrating friendship," Andrew replied from where he was seated.

"Friendship? I and the other lunch ladies have never even thought of celebrating our friendship but be sure to save a slice for me," Bertha laughed.

"Where are the other lunch ladies?" Esther asked.

"They usually go home after serving supper to all the students," Bertha replied.

"Then why do you stay behind?" Esther asked.

"The dishes don't wash themselves, do they? That's why I'm glad that Korah helps me. He's like the child I never had."

"As we wait for the cake to finish baking why don't you tell us what Mr. Stone told you, Andrew?" Lisa suggested.

"Right," Andrew said, prepping himself to narrate the story. "Mr. Stone met his first wife when he was twenty-three. Apparently she was ugly but I highly doubt that. She was only nineteen when they first met. They fell in love and got married two years later. Five years into their marriage they had three sons. By the way, did you know that Mr. Stone is stinking rich?"

"Well, our parents do pay quite a lot in school fees, let alone boarding and meals," Lisa said.

"Yes, he does get paid quite a lot, but that's not what I'm talking about," Andrew said. "His parents were famous actors and he was a child actor and child model."

"For real? Which shows did he act?" Jackson asked.

"Quite a lot. If he didn't show me his childhood photos the I would have never believed him," Andrew replied. "My parents are actors too and it is just now that I realised he is Cecil Stone. My parents often spoke of a Cecil Stone who they had acted with when they were younger."

"Wow!" Esther exclaimed. "Who would ever have thought."

"Tell me about it," Andrew said. "It was after his third child was born that he realised that his children did not look at all like him but more like his gardener. He had a DNA test taken on all of them and found out that only the first was his. He filed for divorce and gained custody of his child. The same happened with his next two wives. The second wife's kids all belonged to someone else and his third wife only had his daughter while her four sons belonged to someone else. He then quit acting and became a teacher."

"That's crazy," Korah said.

"Yeah but not unbelievable," Jackson turned his head to Korah. "Some people have loving partners but still go to look for love with other low lives."

"Yes but sometimes these low lives don't know that they are being vessels in someone's cheating," Korah replied. "They just happen to find themselves in such situations without knowing that they are being used and their children have to suffer."

Whoa! Guys, chill. Why do you sound like you've been cheated on, Jackson? Lisa, did you break Jackson's heart?" Andrew asked.

Lisa, however, did not find it humorous and told Andrew to shut his mouth. She wasn't a cheat. She was a very loyal person, especially when it came to Jackson and those who were close to her.

"I-I'm sorry," Andrew stammered.

Seeing how gloomy the atmosphere had become Bertha excused herself, "Excuse me. I have to... go somewhere else."

Korah dried his hands and sat with the other four around a round wooden table. They were quiet for a few minutes before Andrew spoke up on an attempt to lighten the mood.

"How did Jackson join the team anyway? I'm the only one who doesn't know."

Lisa then went on to explain how she had met him in the library and confronted him and then told him.

Esther stood up to check the cake that was in the oven. She opened the oven and placed a knife into the cake. The knife came out dry.

"The cake's done," Esther said, grabbing a mitten and using it to bring out the cake from the oven.

She then placed it on the round table. "Be careful. It's hot."

"I'll get the plates," Korah said, standing up to retrieve the plates from the cupboard.

"I'll help you with that," Andrew said, standing to help Korah.

Korah and Andrew set plates and forks on the table while Esther cut and served slices of the cake after it cooled down.

"What drinks do you all want?" Jackson asked. "I have two Fanta, two Sprites and one Coke."

Korah took the Coca Cola, Esther and Andrew took the Fanta while Jackson and Lisa took the Sprite.

"Let us pray before we begin to eat," Esther said.

They held their hands and Esther said a short prayer.

"Thank You, Lord, for this day and all that You have let us accomplish. We thank You for seeing us through and for our new friendship. Thank You for this food. In Jesus' name we pray."

"Amen!" They all chorused and dug into their food.

Esther took a sip of her drink and said, "We're supposed to talk about ourselves today. We have about twenty minutes before we're supposed to go back to our room, so let's find out more about each other."

"I'll go first," Andrew smiled. "So, my full name is Andrew Thompson. I'm almost eighteen years old and my parents are actresses. My birthday is on the seventeenth of June. I also have four younger siblings and the youngest is the only girl in the family. That's about it."

"Poor girl," Lisa joked. "Your life is pretty sweet."

"Not really," Andrew said with a heavy sigh and then dropped his spoon. "I'm actually a slow learner. And I mean very slow. I find it very hard to grasp information if it's not well detailed. I also find it hard to pay attention to things that don't interest me, and that's why I keep making jokes now and then to try and keep my head in the game. I paid attention to Mr. Stone's story because it interested me but that's not always the case."

"I-I'm sorry, man," Korah said. "I even insulted you without knowing what you were going through."

"That's in the past now," Andrew said. "And don't feel bad guys. Whose turn is it now?"

"I'll go next," Lisa said. "So, I'm Lisa White. I'm seventeen. Uhm, I am an only child. There's something that people don't know about me but my mother is a single mom and she's not wealthy either. My father was arrested for domestic violence when I was around eight. I think he's been released since then but I haven't seen him in a long time and I don't want to. I'm also here on sponsorship."

"Did you know that, Jackson?" Andrew asked, earning a shoulder punch from Korah.

"Actually, yes," Jackson replied. "I have also met her mom on several occasions. I guess I'll take this as my cue to tell my own story."

"Go ahead," Esther said and took a bite of her cake.

"My name is Jackson Wicket, son of Jeremy Wicket and Mirabelle," Jackson said. "I'm eighteen. I turned eighteen on the second of January. People think that I have a perfect life with no secrets but I do actually have a secret."

At the sound of that Korah's eyes widened and he began choking on his drink.

"You okay, dude?" Andrew asked, hitting Korah's back in an attempt to stop him from chocking.

"Yes, now stop assaulting my back. It hurts. The juice just went down the wrong pipe."

"Sorry," Andrew apologised and looked back at Jackson. "Jackson, you were saying?"

"So, as I was saying," Jackson continued. "I have my very own secret. Everyone thinks that my mother died shortly after giving birth to me but that's not the truth. She and my parents actually divorced and she moved away to stay out of the public eye. I do live with my father but I am closer to my mother."

"Gossip magazines and celebrity news would go crazy if this ever reached their ears," Esther said.

"Exactly why this conversation should remain a secret. I can't believe that I just told a bunch of strangers about my life," Jackson groaned.

"To be fair, everyone you've met outside your family is a stranger, including Lisa. How would you make friends if you never spoke to any one?" Andrew asked.

"Wow! You're actually right," Lisa agreed.

"Who is next?" Jackson asked.

"I am," Esther said. "So, I'm Esther Brown. I'm seventeen. I have a white step-father and my biological father passed away when I was seven years old You guys know a lot about me because I'm the only black female student in the school and the only black student in power. What people don't remember though is that Sammy Greene was my best friend. He committed suicide in Year Nine and I haven't been able to get over his death. His death caused a drift between his and my family."

"Wait, Greene? Is he somehow related to Miss Greene?" Andrew asked.

Esther nodded her head slowly, "He was her only son. It was his death that broke him. She used to be so kind and loving. It's kind of crazy how people forgot him so quickly and only think of Miss Greene as such a monster."

"I'm guilty of that," Jackson raised his hand. "I provoke her so much and yet I don't know what she's going through. I feel like such a brat now."

"We cant bring her son back from the dead but we can at least try to treat her better and show her much love," Andrew said.

"Yeah," Esther agreed. "She hates my guts and blames me for her son's death but at least you guys can show her that she's appreciated."

"But why does she blame you?" Andrew asked.

"Because I was closest to her son. She felt that what he didn't tell her he'd tell me, but he didn't tell me anything either and just took his life. She felt like I should have known his plans."

The other four nodded their heads and Lisa said, "Your turn, Korah."

Korah laughed nervously. He failed to keep eye contact and his hands were sweating.

"What's there to say about me?" Korah asked. "I'm pretty boring. My name is Korah Xanothando Botha. I turned eighteen on the fourth of January-"

"Wow!" Lisa exclaimed. "You were born just two days after Jackson."

"Yeah," Korah laughed nervously. "My mother is South African and my father is British. My father pays my fees but I have no relationship with him whatsoever. I love computers. Yeah...that's about it."

"Really?" Andrew asked. "You have no drama in your life whatsoever?"

Korah shook his head, "Not everyone has drama in their lives."

"Are you sure that's all?" Jackson asked and then took a sip of his drinking, keeping his eyes on Korah the entire time.

"Yes," Korah replied in a defensive tone.

"Are you sure that you have nothing else to say, gang boy?" Jackson smirked.

Korah stood up from his chair with the agility of a tiger and threw his fork at Jackson.

"I said that I have nothing else to say!"

The fork landed on Jackson's chest before it fell on his laps. He dusted the cake crumbs of his shirt and the gently placed the fork on the table.

"Why on earth are you getting so angry and defensive if you have nothing to hide?" Jackson asked calmly with a small smile playing on his lips. "I mean, all of us have poured out our secrets to one another. Don't you think you should do the same thing? That is, if you have any secrets. For example, being a member of a ga-"

"Shut up! Shut up!" Korah yelled, interrupting Jackson.

Bertha then barged into the kitchen, "What's going on here?"

"I wish I knew," Lisa mumbled under her breath.

"Nothing," Korah shook his head, "they were just leaving."

Esther, Andrew and Lisa looked up at Korah in shock.

"What do you mean 'leaving'?" Esther asked.

"Yeah, Korah?" Andrew asked.

"We are done celebrating and now I have to clean up."

"Well, it's not like we want to stay here with you anyway," Jackson stood up from his chair and straightened his shirt. "Bye, guys. Bye, Bertha."

With that said, Jackson walked out of the kitchen feeling satisfied with himself.

"Fine, we'll leave, Korah," Lisa said. "I honestly don't understand what's going on at all but we'll let you cool down. Good night, friend."

Lisa was the next person to leave, followed by Andrew and Esther.

Korah stayed back to help Bertha clean up the kitchen. He stored the remaining cake and juice in the fridge and washed the plates and forks. Bertha did not question him because she felt that he needed to cool himself down on his own.

By the time that Korah left for his bedroom it was already bedtime. As soon as it was bedtime the students were supposed to turn off the lights. The principal would then survey the halls to make sure that all of the students were in their rooms. He would survey the halls for about fifteen to twenty minutes before packing up and heading home.

Korah was about to climb the stairs and go to his room before he heard Principal Winter's voice.

"Where are you coming from, young man?" Principal Winter asked.

Korah turned around to face the man who had questioned him, "F-from the kitchen, Sir."

"Why?" Principal Winter asked. "From what I know, supper is served at Seven PM. It's already five minutes past nine o'clock. What are you still doing out here?"

Five minutes? Korah wasn't that late? Why was Principal Winter making a fuss over the matter?

"I just wanted to prepare something for myself, so I asked Bertha if I could use the kitchen," Korah replied.

"Bertha!" Principal Winter yelled, causing Bertha to come running out of the kitchen.

"Yes, Sir?" Bertha asked.

"Has this boy been in the kitchen with you since after supper?"

"Yes, Sir," Bertha replied. "In fact, he was actually washing the utensils that he used and that's why he is late."

"Okay, thank you. You may go, Bertha," Principal Winter said to her.

Bertha did as she was told and returned to the kitchen as quickly as she came.

"Take this as your second warning, young man," Principal Winter said and then leaned closer to Korah and whispered in his ear, "stop lurking around in the dark when you're all alone otherwise people may accuse you of something you didn't do. Or even worse, you may become a victim."

Principal Winter's words sent chills down Korah's back. He gulped and nodded his head before turning around and making his way to his room.

When he got to his room all he did was shut the door behind him and lay on his bed.

"Are you done venting all your anger on the dishes?" Jackson asked from the top bunk.

"Leave me alone," Korah let out a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"It's not like it would be your first time using violence," Jackson.

"I know. It's not my first time using violence. I punched you and gave you that bruise on your eye yesterday, remember?"

"Just like you punched Samuel Greene in Year Eight?" Jackson asked. "Or like when you were involved in that fist fight during our end of term break in Year Seven?"

Korah blocked out his brother's talking and slowly drifted to sleep, not with peaceful thoughts.

The gloomy weather was nothing new to Korah. The weather represented his life. Full of rains and storms, yet so empty at the same time. His mother was a single mother and they lived in a poor black neighbourhood. There was only one white kid in the entire neighbourhood and that was Sammy Greene.

Samuel Greene was a twelve year old boy who lived in the neighbourhood with his mother. His mother was paid a fair wage as she was a full time teacher at Preston Prep. However, she had chosen to continue living in the same neighbourhood because that was the first house the she had bought with her deceased husband.

Korah and Samuel were not on good terms because they were on opposing gangs. Korah was influenced into joining a gang because his mother was struggling and his father was absent. Samuel joined a gang because he was the only white child in an entirely black neighbourhood and wanted to fit in.

Korah and Samuel were the youngest in their respective gangs. Korah was thirteen while Samuel was twelve.

Their duty was to sell drugs on behalf of the gang leaders but they often got into fights as well.

Korah's and Samuel's gang had clashed over some money that each gang claimed the other owed them.

The fight was extremely physical and Korah and Samuel were rushed to the hospital, along with some other gang mates.

The police then had the leaders of the gangs arrested and the boys were set free. Samuel's mother left the neighbourhood and moved to a much better place. It was after the incident that Korah's father took an interest in him and helped his mother pay the bills.

Korah left his past behind but the two had another fight later that year in the school, initiated by Jackson who kept spreading false rumours. The fight was big but not that bad. They were sent to the principal's office and that was where Korah got his first strike. Korah also lost several of his friends because of that one fight.

Esther joined the school the following year and Korah had noticed that she and Samuel were very close. Korah was doing fine living on the low until that day in the mountains when they went on their Grade Hike.

Samuel committed suicide that day. Or so everyone thought. Korah knew that Samuel didn't commit suicide. He knew that Samuel was pushed. He knew because he was there when Samuel was pushed. He just didn't know who pushed him. The person who pushed him was wearing a hood over his head and a black mask. The murderer didn't see Korah because Korah was hiding behind the trees.

Korah did not tell the police the truth because he was afraid. He was fourteen years of age and was afraid of being called a suspect. His past and history with Samuel was not a great one.

It had been four years since the incident happened but Samuel's cry for help still haunted him. He felt that he couldn't do anything about it anymore and decided to do what Samuel would have done if he were still alive and that was be there for Esther.

He befriended Esther and made her feel welcome, especially since she had lost most of her friends after Samuel's death. Korah did not expect his friendship with Esther to last but it did, and he was glad that it did.

Korah was awoken the following morning by his brother who chose to assault his face with a pillow.

Korah simply grunted and turned to his side, causing Jackson to whack him harder with the pillow, "Dude, wake up."

"What?" Korah groaned, forcing his eyes open. He was suddenly blinded by bright light that cam in through the opened windows. "Dude, close the curtains. Why is the sun out anyway?"

"It's past nine o'clock," Jackson replied.

Korah tore his blanket off his body and jumped out of bed, "I'm more than an hour late for class. Why didn't you wake me up earlier?"

"Don't bother about getting dressed," Jackson dropped the pillow on the floor and made his way over to the window.

"Why not?" Korah asked.

Jackson pointed out the window, "Come and see what's going on outside."

Korah made his way to the window and looked outside. The sight surprised him. There were several police cars and several police officers outside.

"What's going on down there?" Korah asked.

"I don't know," Jackson shrugged, "I woke up to the sound of police sirens this morning but when I went downstairs to check it out Miss Greene sent me back up. At least we don't have to go to class today."

"That's weird. I wonder why they're here."

Jackson nodded his head in agreement.

Shortly after, Jackson and Korah were still standing behind window and there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" The both of them yelled without inquiring who was at the door.

Lisa slowly opened the door and entered the room. Jackson and Korah both turned their heads to look at Lisa.

"Good morning, Lisa," Jackson walked over to Lisa and pecked her cheek.

"Morning. Good morning, Korah," Lisa greeted and Korah replied with a simple nod before turning his head back out the window.

"What are you doing here? Girls aren't allowed in the boys' dorms, you know. And how did you get past Miss Greene?" Jackson asked.

"Miss Greene is outside with the other teachers and the police officers. I same because I actually need to talk to you about something," Lisa said.

"Go ahead."

"Can we talk outside?" Lisa asked. "I do not want to be seen by the teachers here."

"Okay... I guess. We can go to the library," Jackson said. "You go ahead. Let me grab my jacket first.

Lisa made her way out first while Jackson remained behind to grab a jacket from the closet. He grabbed and blue cardigan and wore it over his white short-sleeved T-shirt.

"What do you think she wants to talk to you about?" Korah asked, still looking outside the window.

"I don't know but she sounds pretty serious," Jackson replied and rushed out of the room.

Jackson met Esther on his way down the stairs.

"Good morning," Jackson greeted and proceeded to walk past her but stopped in his tracks and walked back to her.

"Where do you think you're going, Esther?" Jackson asked. "You do know that these stairs lead to the boys' dorms and nowhere else, right?

"Yeah, I just want to talk to Korah," Esther replied.

"Oh, so you girl are just going to take advantage of the opportunity and go against the school rules?" Jackson asked rhetorically.

"Yeah," Esther replied, "if you're given an opportunity, you have to take a hold of it."

With that Esther walked off. Jackson shook his head and made his way to the library.

Lisa was leaning against the wall in the library when Jackson entered.

"What do you want to talk about?" Jackson asked.

"Close the door behind you," was all that Lisa said and she made her way to a book shelf and grabbed a random book.

Jackson closed the door and followed Esther, "Yes?"

Esther opened the book, closed it again and then looked at Jackson, "I want you to tell me your real relationship with Korah."

Jackson's face changed from that of curiosity to that of confusion. What had his brother tell her?

"What did Korah tell you?" Jackson asked.

Lisa raised one eyebrow, "What do you mean? Korah told me nothing. Now, tell me the truth."

"I have nothing to say," Jackson lied.

"You're lying, Jackson. Yesterday the way to provoked Korah didn't make sense. You're always provoking him and I don't really understand why," Lisa said. "Yesterday I don't know what you were insinuating but Korah looked hurt by it. Tell me the relationship that you have with Korah and don't you dare tell me that there's nothing because I sense that there is something going on."

"Korah is my brother! Are you happy now?" Jackson asked.

Lisa dropped the book that she was holding in shock, "What?"

Jackson sighed and sat down on an empty chair, "Korah is my half-brother."

"But how?" Lisa picked up the book from the ground and sat down as well. "You and Korah are just two days apart and no one knows about-"

"Korah existence, I know," Jackson completed her sentence. "My dad cheated on my mom and Korah's mom got pregnant at the same time my mom did. My mother knew about it, so after she gave birth my father told the media that she had died during child birth because they were getting a divorce and he didn't want his reputation to be tarnished."

"Then how did your mother begin this new life of his? I know that she's alive but I thought she was the one who chose to hide from the public."

"No," Jackson shook his head, "she stayed with my father to care for me for six months and then found a house in a place that no one would ever think of searching for her. She visited and still visits me every now and then."

"Is that where she met your step-father?" Lisa asked.

Jackson nodded, "He pays more attention to me than my real father. I won't ever forgive Korah for breaking our family apart. If he weren't born my parents would have still been together and my mother may have forgiven my father."

"Why don't you talk to Korah and express all your thoughts to him?" Lisa asked.

"I share a room with the guy and we've never been able to overcome our differences. How am I supposed to have a decent conversation with him?"

"Don't act as though you're a saint. I have a feeling that you're the main cause of the fights that you two have."

"Guilty," Jackson smiled sheepishly.

"Do you promise to have a decent conversation to him?" Lisa asked, standing up from her seat.

"Promise is a big word," Jackson stood up stretched out his hands. "I'll try to have a conversation with him."

Lisa warmed herself in Jackson's embrace, returning his hug. At that moment the door to the library was opened. Dexter popped his head into the library through the opened space only to see Lisa and Jackson in a warm embrace.

"Ahem," Jackson cleared his throat in an attempt to gain their attention.

His strategy worked and the two lifted their heads to look at Dexter. Lisa separated herself from Jackson.

"Good morning, Dexter," Lisa greeted him/

"Good morning, White," Dexter nodded his head. "We are about to have a meeting and as a Dorm Supervisor, you are obliged to take part. Please inform Esther Brown as I have no idea where she is."

"Sure thing, Dexter Paige."

"Please hurry," Dexter pleaded, "the teachers are participating in this meeting and it seems serious."

"Is it about the commotion taking place outside?" Lisa asked.

"I'm not certain," Dexter said, "but it will take place in the staff room."

"Not the meeting room?"

"No," Dexter replied and left the room.

"I'll see you later, Jackie," Lisa said.

"Okay, I'll just stay behind to read."

"Go and talk to your brother."

Jackson groaned and followed Lisa out of the library.

Esther knocked on the door to Korah's dorm room twice and he opened the door shortly after.

"Esther? What are you doing here?" Korah asked.

"I came to talk," Esther replied.

"What about?"

"Yesterday," Esther replied and Korah gave a loud groan.

"What exactly about yesterday?" Korah asked.

"The time when you and Jackson almost had a verbal fight and you practically kicked us out of the kitchen," Esther replied.

"Oh, that," Korah scratched his head. He then realised that Esther was still standing outside the door, so he moved away from the entrance, "Come on in."

Esther entered the room and Korah closed the door behind him.

"What exactly do you want to know?" Korah asked, sitting on his bed.

Esther sat beside him and placed her hand on his shoulder, "What you're hiding from me. Everything will be revealed one day. What did Jackson mean when he called you 'gang boy'?"

"I wish I knew," Korah laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck. "I honestly have no idea what he was talking about."

"You're lying," Korah stated. "You can't keep eye contact, you're laughing nervously and you keep scratching your head and neck."

Korah then looked at Esther in disbelief and she returned the gaze. It was then he noticed that Esther wasn't backing down.

"If you want to know, then I'll tell you," Korah said. "I was in a gang when I was much younger..."

Korah narrated the story of his gangster life to Esther. He, however, left out the part that Jackson was his brother and the part where he witnessed Samuel's murder. He also mentioned his history with Samuel.

"Then why did you act as though you had never heard of Sammy when I told you about him on Monday?"

"Because I was scared."

"Of what?"

"You abandoning me," Korah replied honestly. "I thought that you would chase me out of your life like my other friends did after I fought with him."

"Korah, those weren't real friends," Esther rubbed his shoulder. "Real friends stick with you through thick and thin and help you when you need help or when you're in the wrong. Friends don't abandon you immediately."

"But I don't blame them," Korah sighed. "They are sons and daughters to the most influential people in the country which means that they have to have no spots or dirt on their names. I would be the dirt."

"You honestly can't blame them but the way they were quick to abandon me is what shocks me."

"They even admitted that they were just using me to get on good sides of the teachers," Korah sighed.

"How did you manage to maintain a good relationship with Miss Greene? I mean, not only did you beat up her son, but you're also friends with the girl that she blames for her son's death," Esther said.

"I'll just say that she understands where I'm coming from."

"In what sense?" Esther asked.

"Firstly, both our families grew up in the same neighbourhood before we both moved. Secondly, both Samuel and I came from single mother households. Thirdly, Samuel and I were both in gangs. Last but not least, Samuel and I both befriended the same girl. I think she kind of sees Samuel in me. Her son was very precious to her and she cares for me and wants me to succeed just like she would have wanted Samuel to if he were still alive."

At the end of his sentence Jackson barged into the room, followed by Lisa.

"What's up, guys?" Esther asked, standing up and straightening out her school uniform.

"Jackson told m that you were. I'm sorry that I'm late. I had to change into my uniform first," Lisa said.

"What's up?" Esther asked. "Is there something that I should know about?"

"We have a meeting in the Staff Room with the teachers right now," Lisa replied.

"The staff room?" Esther asked, already making her way outside the room. :It must really be serious."

Esther was about to leave the room but she stopped in her tracks and turned back to look at Korah, "I would never abandon you, Korah. You shouldn't have been afraid to tell me the truth. After all, it's not your fault that Sammy died."

Korah watched the two girls leave the room with a smile on his face while feeling pathetic on the inside.

'It may not be my fault that Sammy died but I am not a saint either. I didn't do anything to help him."

Korah was still deep in thought when a pillow came flying at his head. Korah was immediately knocked out of his thoughts. He looked up at the only other person in the room. Jackson was standing at the head of Korah's bed holding another pillow.

"What is it with you and pillows this morning?" Korah asked.

Jackson simply shrugged and threw the pillow back onto the bed, "You've been staring at the door for more than five minutes. I know you like Esther but she left long ago. Were you still staring at the door in hopes that she would reappear?"

"W-what do you mean? I do not l-like Esther," Korah stammered.

"Are you stammering because you love her?" Jackson laughed.

Korah threw the pillow that had previously been thrown at him at Jackson but Jackson caught it and then stuck his tongue out at Korah.

"Child," Korah mumbled and walked over to his desk.

"In all seriousness," Jackson laid the pillow back on the bed gently, "I want to talk to you."

"Gosh, is today another day of confrontation? Geez! I haven't even taken a shower. How did you manage to take one if we were being restricted to go downstairs?" Korah asked.

"I woke up at five to get ready for school and the police came at six. You do the math."

"What do you want to talk about?" Korah asked with a groan.

"You and me," Jackson replied.

"Huh?"

"Our relationship."

"What relationship?" Korah asked. "From what I know, you and I are only roommates."

"Stop playing, Korah," Jackson said and then sat down on Korah's bed. "I want to apologise to you."

Korah looked at his brother with a confused look on his face, "Why are you apologising?"

"For," Jackson said and then groaned before speaking once again, "everything. For everything. I want to apologise for never having your back and for beating you and for lying to you. But I also want to express my feelings to you."

"Uhm... go ahead, I guess," Korah said and sat down on the chair that was by his desk.

"I had always, and still do, blamed you for tearing my parents apart," Jackson said, his eyes tearing up in the process. "I always thought that maybe if you weren't born, my parents would still be together and my father would care for me. Every day since I was born my father became more distant and I took out all that pain on you. I thought that if I beat you up I would feel better but I didn't."

Jackson's tone completely changed as he spoke and he began to cry, "My father hates me and I don't know what I did you deserve this hate. He tries to fill his absence in my life with the latest brands of clothes and technology but it doesn't fill the void in my heart. I-I don't even know what to say anymore."

"Jackson," Korah said in a calm tone, "it's not my fault that I was born. If I had a chance, I would have chosen to have never been born. By the way, my mother did not even know that your father was married."

"How is that possible?" Jackson asked. "My father was quite popular at that time, and he still is. She should have seen him on the news or elsewhere."

"She should have but it was her first time in the country. She came here to study Law and she met your dad. She fell in love with him and didn't find out that he was married until a few months after she fell pregnant. She was eighteen at the time."

"Your mom was studying Law and she didn't know about the politicians in the country?" Jackson asked.

"Wasn't your father just an actor and human rights activist back then?"

"Yes, but my grandfather was also a politician. His son, my father, inherited his fame."

"Anyway, Jackson, it's not my fault that everything that we've been through has happened. I was just born into this mess and so were you," Korah said.

Jackson nodded, "I guess. Was your mother able to complete her education?"

"Yeah, she had the support of her family after your father abandoned her."

"If she's a lawyer, then why did you guys stay in a poor neighbourhood and, uhm, why was she unable to send you to a private school without dad's help?" Jackson asked.

"Okay, firstly, just because you're wealthy doesn't mean that your child must go to a private school. Public schools are great, for your information," Korah replied. "And to answer your question, being a lawyer took up a lot of time. I was young and she did not want to spend much time away from me. However, having one parent wasn't enough for me; I thought that I could fill that void by joining a gang but that didn't work out as I planned. It was after that incident that your father decided to start paying attention to me by paying my school fees. He was still absent, so my mother flew in her younger brother from South Africa to help raise me. After I started boarding school her life came back on track and she became a lawyer. She works for a small firm but the money she earns is enough to place us as a middle class family."

"Korah."

"Yeah?"

"Stop saying 'your dad', he's 'or dad' in case you didn't notice."

"Oh, so, now I'm allowed to call him my father?" Korah asked rhetorically.

"Look, Korah, I truly am sorry for how I've treated you to date. I promise that I'll try my best to be a better big brother. I'll also try to not take my anger out on you."

"I'm also sorry for all that you have been through," Korah said. "I wish I could change things but I can't. Not even a little bit. I'll also try not to provoke you to wrath."

"Korah, thanks for the talk. It's been really... nice, I guess."

"I guess this is the part that we hug it out?" Korah asked and stretched his arms wide.

"Gross, no! Hugs are reserved for my mom and Lisa. And you haven't bathed either," Jackson scrunched up his nose and stood up from his bed.

"I'll go take a shower after getting breakfast from the kitchen," Korah said and left the room.

Jackson son stood staring at the door even after Korah had left, feeling proud of himself. He didn't know how they would cooperate but he was going to try his hardest to not provoke his brother. Lisa was going to be so proud of him!

Esther and Lisa walked into the Staff Room together. The room was packed as there were many Dorm Supervisors and teachers there, and not everyone was there yet. The two spotted Andrew seated at the afr back of the classroom and walked up to him.

"Good morning, Andrew," the two greeted.

"Morning, girls," Andrew said and then motioned to the two seats by his side, "I saved seats for you."

Esther and Lisa occupied the seats.

"What's the meeting about?" Lisa asked and Andrew shrugged.

"I don't know. They haven't yet started."

"Why did you bring a book?" Esther asked as she noticed the book that was seated on the table in front of Andrew.

"To take record of everything like we always do during our weekly meetings."

"I don't think we have to take record of this meeting. We would have been informed if so," Esther said.

"We shall find out," was the response that Andrew gave.

"Then where's the pen?" Esther asked.

"What pen?"

"The pen that you'll use to write down everything."

Andrew then realised that he had not brought a pen with him, "Darn it! There must be a pen somewhere in the Staff Room. I'l go and look for a pen. Keep my chair for me."

Andrew stood up with his book and went in search of a pen.

The two girls looked at each other and laughed, "Classic Andrew."

It wasn't until after ten minutes later that the teachers were ready to have the meeting. The teachers were standing in front of the classroom and the students were seated, some were standing due to the lack of chairs. The principal, however, was absent.

"Good morning, students!" Mr. Stone was the spokesperson. "Before we being our meeting shall we have a word of prayer from the Student President, Dexter Paige?'

Dexter stood up from his seat to pray. He put his hands together and said, "Shall we pray?"

"Dexter," Mr. Stone interrupted him before he even began, "please keep it short but sweet."

His words resulted in peals of laughter and giggles from the Junior Dorm Supervisors. Dexter was known for giving extremely long prayers.

"Yes, Sir," Dexter smiled and closed his eyes to pray. Thank you, Lord, for this day and the gift of life. May You see us through even as we gather for this meeting and may everything be done as according to Your Will. In Jesus' name I pray, amen."

With that Dexter took his seat.

"Thank you, Dexter, for that wonderful prayer," Mr. Stone said. "Good morning, students!"

"Good morning, teachers!" All the students chorused.

"Now, to begin our purpose for this meeting," Mr. Stone said and turned on the flat screen television behind him. It was where most of the news was displayed during staff meetings. There was a flat screen television attached on the left side of the wall and a white board on the right.

"Why don't we have a television in our own meeting room?" Andrew whispered into Esther's ear.

"At least there's one in the school auditorium," Esther replied.

"I guess," Andrew nodded.

"Most of you must have noticed the confusion and commotion taking place outside with the police cars and everything," Mr. Stone continued. "Now, there is a reason for that and we have a guest to brief us on the happenings. Come on in, Mr. Bishop."

The door to the Staff Rom opened and the person who walked into the room shocked the students more than the surprise arrival of the police did. The quiet room was suddenly filled with murmurs from all the students. How was this possible?"