Barcliff Academy Series

A Nigerian themed story

High school story

Bbecliff Academy series

The silence was overwhelming. A croak of a frog could be heard among the students probably coming from the school farm. The principal of Barcliff Academy stood on the elevated podium that was designed for teachers, prefects, the principal and even the proprietor of the school to address the students whenever they wanted to. The principal on a normal day would be putting on one of his choicest award winning smiles, but that day wasn't a normal day.

All students were wondering why the teachers were all putting on grim and forlorn faces. Although the expressions on some of the teacher's faces was not unusual as they were always sneering. But the rest were like ice-cream on a rainy day. Sunshines and all smiles.

So it was a thing of astonishment to all the students –except those of the Sss 1B class. The principal cleared his throat, and squeezed his face like he had been force fed a bottle of Yoyo bitters. His face wasn't welcoming at all," Ah ehm!" He called for the attention of the students, though he didn't need to, cause they were all focused on him already.

"It is with sadness that I come to you this morning, to inform you that we lost one of us yesterday night." This statement as expected brought murmurs as well as head turning as the students tried to figure out who among them was missing.

The Sss 1B students were the only one not murmuring, it wasn't news to them. After all one of them found the body.

"A minute silence for Miss Madeline Peters." The principal continued, but apparently the student body were to shocked to keep quiet and it took the intervention of the teachers to keep them silent.

After the silence, the principal dismissed them and the students were left to wonder exactly what killed Madeline.

But the principal, Mr. Abiade withheld the most vital and important part of the discovery. He didn't inform the students that Madeline's body was found in the school farm or that she was lying in her own pool of blood. Or that the killer could possibly be walking among the students searching for it next prey.

Maybe he did it to avoid panic and rumors, or maybe he did it to cover the dirty secret. None of the teachers could fathom. But most of them supported the idea of keeping the facts from the students.

Is it a bad idea? No one knows.

♥•

In Sss 2A class

The students were all muted by shock. Even Dare the class parrot was too shocked to talk for about 10 mins. It was like pulling a rug from all of their legs, of course they would lose their balance.

Madeline Peters dead!

Maddy is dead!

But how?

That was the question that was on most peoples mind. Others were just too numb to speak. Her best friend Khafayat( mostly called Khafy) was feeling the guilt.

You killed her... Her mind accused.

Just wait until they find out, her conscience jeered.

Khafy sat on her seat, hoping her face didn't give her away too much.

I killed Maddy... She mouthed continuously.

Esther the class gossip and the only one who looked like Maddy's death didn't affect approached Khafy,"I can't believe Maddy is dead." She wanted to goad Khafy into talking.

"Who knows what killed her," Esther continued thoughtfully, acting like she cared," You people were involved in a lot of illegal things."

At this point she had the attention of the class including Khafy's, which was what she was after.

"Ill... Ill... Illegal things like what?" Khafy stammered. If she was in her normal state of mind she wouldn't have stammered. Infact if she was in her normal state she would not have paid somebody like Esther any attention.

Esther sneered, raising her upper lips a little," You really want me to say what illegal things you were up to?"

She knows something... Khafy thought.

She started sweating, thinking fast of an answer she could give Esther, but Lilian a girl sitting at the back came to her rescue.

"Esther! What do you think you are doing. Somebody lost her best friend and the only thing you can do is point accusing fingers at her. Una no get shame [Why are you this shameless?]"

Esther not wanting to be seen in the bad light faced Lilian immediately," Did I say anything here that said she killed her. I was only asking a question. Or do y'all want to pretend Madeline was a good person and weep for the saint that she never was?" She questioned the rest of the class.

"Aunty shut up if you don't want to receive slap. You yourself you be saint [ Are you a saint yourself?] Don't you have any respect for the dead?" Dare too attacked Esther, eyeing her furiously.

The boy behaved too much like a girl. But it was at moments like this he showed himself.

"I do not pity you. Pretenders!" Esther shouted," I won't sit and waste my tears on someone that doesn't deserve it. She's dead, good for her. I didn't kill her. Good riddance to bad rubbish." And she stomped to her seat, hitting Felix's table as she passed.

A paper fell from her pocket but she didn't seem to notice. Eddy who did, picked it up and opened it just from curiosity. What he saw on the paper didn't make any sense but he just kept it in his pocket out of habit.

Unknown to Esther, she gave the class something to think and talk about. She had seemed to confirm their suspicion.

Madeline didn't die a natural death.

So if she didn't, what killed her? Why did the principal not tell them?

Esther also gave Khafy something to think about.

She knows something... Her mind kept singing.

It was up to her and probably others interested to find out what Esther knew.

To be continued.