She smiled on that note still shedding tears in addendum. Wait, why the sudden tears? Oh, she was really feeling sorry for how she had treated Crucifix especially now he had woken a different butterfly in her stomach, a fly Caleb could not set to fly. Regardless the evidence she had about Crucifix she needed to be certain that Caleb was or wasn’t lying to her and couldn’t wait to get to school the next day in order to get things straight with everyone including Crucifix. She needed what the educated called ‘First hand information’. Therefore she needn’t call anyone for anything.
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The next morning, before her parents woke up, she had taken two slices of bread with warm tea. Quickly, she boarded a cab….
On the other hand, Crucifix had arrived to school. Another day and week he hoped to get his goal archived without sabotaging the process. Through the gate, he surged forward on a knicker with same canvas and a shirt. His bag rested behind him. Unfortunately, he saw some security men approaching from a distant. The two men grabbed him like a common criminal.
“What’s the problem?” he asked on the way.
“You’re required in the hall by the school authorities.” One of the men replied.
No, no, no, not again!! Ah, What has Crucifix gotten himself into? On this day he hope he would take another step to his success story. What could really be the problem? The poor boy wondered.
He was taken into the hall. Surprisingly, all students of Kenny High assembled on the long sanctum already. Seeing him, everyone remained quiet, also wondering what was going on because they didn’t even know why they were summoned in the hall.
Mrs. Kate, the principal spoke up sadly. “You’re summoned here today to witness the consequences of bad behavior.”
Hearing that, the hall became as quiet as a grave yard.
“I was in my office the other day, this boy Crucifix came in and began to ask questions about the school result vault. Later yesterday, the vault was discovered broken” She looked at Crucifix. “How did you get the code, Mr Odinaka?”
The two security pushed him forward. The poor boy didn’t know what to say. Lucy stared at him from the crowd likewise Emmanuel, Rose and Alice.
“I’m an innocent of the alligation portioned to me.” Crucifix found his voice. “I didn’t do it!” he added with a louder tone.
The principal gesture at other securities and they brought Jimmy forward.. “Jimmy, tell the school what you told me after you were apprehended breaking the school vault.” Mrs Kate ordered.
“Crucifix gave me the code to the vault.” The boy said.
“He forced me! He threatened me! he blackmailed me!!” Crucifix lamented.
“That doesn’t answer the question. How did you get the code?” Mrs. Kate was still inquisitive.
Already, tears had began to find its way from the eyes of the young boy. A secret he had always protected was the one he was being forced to say before the whole school. Outrageous.
“I got the code by reading the mind of the principal..” he began.
“Hey!” some of the students shouted.
“I’m a mind reader. But you need to understand that I mean no harm to anyone. I never wanted to walk on people’s minds with my dirty feet. I kept the secret in order to have some friends but Jimmy threatened to reveal it if I did not get the vault codes.” he explained letting the tears run freely from his eyes. So sad.
Just before he knew it, students began to to throw things at him like the jews clamouring for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. At that point, Lucy’s eyes caught with Crucifix’.
“Having a mind reader is like having a secret spy!” Mrs. Kate’s voice lowered the clamouring of the crowd. “Being around such people be rest assured your secret isn’t safe too. Therefore…”
“Expel them!” Students suggested.
“He’s a devil!” Some shouted.
“Therefore, I hereby expel Crucifix Odinakachukwu and Jimmy Fredrick from this school.” The principal concluded.
However, Margret was still on her way coming. Unfortunately, she encountered a serious traffic as a result of road accident. The young girl, occasionally glanced at her wrest watch.
“Oh God!” she soliloquize.
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Through the long passage of Kenny High, Crucifix walked slowly like a tortoise. He had been expelled which wasn’t his intentions. Students mocked him, many stayed away from his way and called him freak, while some pitied him. Oh, very painful. He had shattered his dreams and goals once again regardless of all the promises he made to his grandfather to be of good behavior at school, but here he was, expelled from the sixth school of his life all because of his ability to read people’s mind. What about Margret, the only girl that he wished to have her love and care? The only girl that holds the key to his life and future. Oh, he had failed on that expect too. Thinking about all that, the tears once again began to drop without minding the public stare at him. He had only one mission in his mind then; to journey for the ribbon of his ancestors in other to correct the wrong he had written in the name of love otherwise face more tragedy of life even if he wasn’t sure he would get the ribbon alive. d@mn! Crucifix was really a bag of problem with tragic content.
As he surged towards the gate, so was Margret getting tired of the traffic. She couldn’t wait in the cab anymore, so she jumped down.
“Hey, young girl, you’ve not given me your money?” The driver lamented.
Margret paid deaf hear to him. She bagan to run through the upper centre of double-lane road. Though she didn’t know what was happening in school, but her running velocity seemed to her that she was going to miss something very important or someone. Obviously, that was Crucifix. Oh, no, she had to hurry! She couldn’t wait to apologise to him and never let the butterfly in her stomach sleep for him anymore. As she ran non-stop, Crucifix’ staring image at the backyard of Mary’s restaurant flashed into her mind once again. In that gaze she saw sincerity, pure love and happiness. When she suddenly deviated to how she and her friends treated and mocked him, she began to shed tears on the road. Tragic!
Quickly, she arrived through the school gate, sweating profusely. She looked around to see students hanging around for sports activities because it was Friday. Luckily, she saw Caleb.
“Caleb!” Her voice attracted students’ attention. Like a warrior, she met the boy talking to one of the female students. “You lied to me!!”
“Slow down, babe. What are you talking about?” Caleb turned to her.
“You never dropped those packages at my doorstep!”
“I did!”
“What was the second to the last thing you dropped and the content of a note in it?”
Caleb went dumb. He didn’t know it because he never did drop something at her doorsteps. Crucifix did. Seeing the confused expression on his face, Margret slapped him. “How dare you lie to me?! And who told you about it?!”
“I’m sorry, okay? Ken told me about it and he said Rose told her about it too.” Caleb confessed.
Briskly, Margret walked out from him to meet her friends inside the long passage beside their lockers. “Rose, I can’t believe you told your boyfriend, Ken, my secret.”
Rose glanced at Alice to ascertain the statement. “I don’t understand?” she said.
“Ken told Caleb about the unknown person and he used it to convince me in dating him. Who else would have told Ken if not you?”
“You sound like you know the unknown person now.” Alice chipped in.
“Yes, it’s Crucifix!”
“What!” the girls shouted.
Margret ignored them. She surged towards their classroom. From her movement, the girls could tell she was searching for Crucifix. So Alice called her back saying with low and sad voice, “Margret, Crucifix has been expelled.”
Instantly, Margret turned in a slow motion. “Expelled? What.. why..?” she stammered.
“Jimmy blackmailed him. He’s actually a mind reader. Now, it’s clear thAt he’s the one that had been reading your mind and dropping those packages for you.” Alice clarified.
“It’s also clear that you won’t have to see the dirty boy again who doesn’t know his level.” Rose added disdainfully.
Jeeez! Margret couldn’t believe her ears. Even though Rose’s statement sounded offensively, there could be an atom of truth in it. What if she wouldn’t see her true love again?
“No, no, no…” the tears returned in her eyes as she brought out her phone to call Crucifix….
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Meanwhile, the young boy had gotten home. He could be seen, parking his belongings like one about to journey to his doom. Of course yes, doom awaited him if he didn’t get to marry Margret in his miserable life. Tragically enough, he was preparing for that. After getting ready, he picked his cell phone up from his bed only to discover the battery dead. Quickly, he left the house, leaving a note for his grandfather…
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Margret brought her phone down from her ear after trying his line. With the tears in her eyes, she ran out to the exterior building, looking at everywhere like one about to get mad. She would have gone to Crucifix’ house, but didn’t know the direction. She would have called Raina to know, but she didn’t have her number. She would have located DeMar Street to meet her physically but she couldn’t recognize the direction too. Moreover, if she did, Raina wouldn’t be at home. Could it really be that she would never set eyes on Crucifix again? Reasoning all that, she broke down in a serious cry. Oh, what a pity? What an emotional tingle which she couldn’t tackle.
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On the other hand, Crucifix walked through a bridge with his phone in his hand. He was leaving the town for good to inquire about his future from his ancestors. In his eyes were unseen tears which he held like a man. Unfortunately, he bumped on a fat woman and the cell phone fell down the bridge to a flowing water.
“Oh, sorry!” the woman apologized.
Crucifix looked down the bridge to see the only communication device he had gone and gone forever. Probably, Margret would not only see him again but would never hear from him too….
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TO BE CONTINUED
