There was no Ivie.
He heard Odion said clearly that she had watched her enter and was waiting for her to come out, so where could she possibly have gone?
He eyed the Dean quizzically. Had he done something to her? If Odion had not seen her come out, it meant she was still there and since he wasn't seeing her, it meant the Dean had done something. His jaw ticked in annoyance.
"Is there a reason you're looking at me as if you want to kill me right now?" Father IK asked, relaxing into his seat.
"Because I want to and if you're not careful, I might." His eyes ran through the place.
"Anything you're looking for?" He asked, watching him. His hand was under the table to hide that it was shaking.
"What you're hiding," Father Chibuike replied and then pushed himself from the spot his legs were rooted on.
"Why are you here unannounced, did I send for you?" He quickly glanced at wardrobe where he had pushed Itohan quickly to hide thinking it was someone he could easily dismiss. If he had known it was Father Chibuike then he would have pretended to scold Itohan, or Ivie as he knew it. He clenched his jaw in annoyance. "Don't you know that when you knock, you should wait for a response before coming in?"
Father Chibuike sat down.
It fueled his anger. "I don't remember telling you to sit," he attacked.
"I don't remember telling you to sit," he repeated.
"That's what I said."
"I know, I'm just trying to see if it would make any sense if I said it, because it sounds like nonsense to me. Now, back to what my glorious self has come to say, which makes a lot of sense by the way. I'm here regarding why you increased Itohan's suspension unannounced and without my permission."
"Without your permission?" He scoffed.
"You seem to be stealing my shine a lot and I don't like it. First you sent her off without letting me know as the one she offended, and now you're doing this. What exactly do you think you would gain by pissing me off? I must warn you, offenses like that ends with broken limbs."
"Are you threatening me?"
"Just wondering if you hold anything against the poor girl whose only offense was to betray Ivie who happens to be my favourite student as for the moment."
"Betray Ivie?" The dean asked. "You said she went through the files in your office."
Father Chibuike pointed, "That included."
"So this is about Ivie?"
"Was. Now it's about why you won't play a fair game, it's hurting her friends, they want her back. Bring her back."
"Or?" He cocked his brow in a question. "I don't know why you have the guts you have, I'm in charge here, I can send you back anytime I please, the same way I can lengthen your favourite's stay."
"My favourite? What are you talking about?"
Mentally, Father IK scream at himself at the slip up. He quickly covered up. "They are all your favourites, aren't they? You had this same fierceness when you sat there and threatened me about expelling Ivie."
"I did not." He paused, hearing a faint movement coming from the Dean's wardrobe. He tilted his head to the side in thought.
"I—"
He held his index finger in front of his lips, gesturing the dean to hush. "Shh," he said and picked the sound of swallow breaths.
There was someone in the wardrobe.
And if what Odion had said was true, then he knew who it was.
His eyes darkened at the thought.
"We need to establish some rules here," the dean was saying, hoping that whatever made him quiet wasn't what was in his closet, "I demand that you treat me with respect. I'm not a child to shut up like that."
"I think there's a cockroach in your wardrobe. Mind if I help you?" He rose to his feet, screeching the chair and took long strides to the wardrobe.
"What—" the dean stood up too, but it was late as Father Chibuike had pulled the handle open.
Itohan curled at the bottom of the wardrobe.
"Would you look at this, it's a really big cockroach?" Father Chibuike mused, his usual smile absent from his face. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you've formed an alliance with the dean."
She smiled awkwardly. "We, no, I—eh—I.."
"You always loose your ability to speak at the best of moments, Ivie. Here I thought you'd be celebrating being JohnMary's girlfriend, what are you doing hiding, voluntarily, in the Dean's closet?"
He knew it was voluntary. There was no fear in her eyes like she had when he had proposed her expulsion. She looked calm and it irked him that she was calm in the company of the douchebag of a priest. Calm alone with him.
"What? JohnMary's girlfriend?" The dean asked, surprised. He glanced at Itohan questioningly.
"Yes. She became JohnMary's girlfriend today. Why are you surprised? Sure enough you're not going to expel her because of this?"
Internally, Itohan groaned. Did Father Chibuike really need to run his mouth about it? Scratch that. Did Gaga have to be a tattler? She had wanted to keep it from the dean.
Father IK cleared his throat, keeping his composure. "This is a convent school, such relations can lead to ungodly acts."
"By that you mean sex?" Father Chibuike questioned.
"I am of the opinion that we all know what I meant by that."
"And I am of the opinion that it's ungodly to have a young lady hide in your closet where the smell of you on your clothes will fill her nostrils, messing up with her senses and giving her wicked thoughts she shouldn't be having."
"What are you trying to imply?" Embarrassed, he looked away from him.
"I'm also of the opinion that we all know. Step out, Ivie, except you like the smell of him so much."
Itohan smiled awkwardly again and stepped out
Father Chibuike watched her, the changes in her more palpable. Ivie would never smile to a statement like that, he expected her to glare at him, draw his ear to whisper threats or even stomp his feet, those were more Ivie like. What had changed?
"Don't have any funny thoughts and spread false rumours around the school, this was nothing," the Dean warned.
"Oh, it was not. But why will I talk about it when I can use it much to my advantage later on?" He kicked his seat into position. "Have a nice day and remember to reconsider your stand on Itohan, her friends want her back." He turned to Itohan, "After you."
She murmured a curse. Why was the priest bent on bringing her back? She cannot afford to have Ivie back any moment from now, it will ruin things. She was the one supposed to talk to Father Chibuike about it, who had done her job?
As they existed the office, Father Chibuike steps flattered behind her and she, oblivious of it, continued walking.
He stood there, watching her retreating figure. Something was definitely not right.
It was night and Ivie tiptoed out of her room, the envelope safely secured inside her dress. She was going to run away, she wouldn't stay there and wonder what kind of things Itohan was doing to her life.
She had tried to write a letter, but that too was not allowed.
The night was not entirely quiet, she could hear drumming from a distance and she guessed it was coming from the monastery, the place she's never visited.
The corridor was empty, it was late at night and everyone had retired to bed already. Her steps were as light as a feather and as she opened the door, she prayed the creaking sound would not alert anybody. The last thing she could afford now was being caught.
She successfully wiggled her way out of the door and stepped unto the world, free but still held back by the locked gate. She had not had enough time to plan stealing the keys, and she doubted she could since it was held by Sister Rita. Ivie feared the nun could hear even the breathing of a mosquito, she would never make it stealing the keys.
Since the gate was out of option, she started to climb the wall. She did not wait to consider how tall or thick it was, she blindly climbed, trusting the money skills she used to maneuver to the top of the trees back in school.
The thought made her nostalgic. It seemed Itohan had deceived all her friends. Including Father Chibuike.
She didn't want to be hurt, but she couldn't help it. She thought he knew her. Or maybe Itohan had mirrored her character well enough that there were no lapses.
Had Amaka being deceived too? She was just a cat, what could she possibly know?
Ivie was still deep in thought, her arms already feeling numb from the heaving pushing upward, that she didn't hear the angry footsteps marching towards her.
The voice was hoarse when it asked, "What do you think you're doing?", so hoarse that it frightened Ivie to a jerk and she came falling from the wall, with a hard thud, down to her bottom.