Father IK pulled away first. "You're dating John?" Displeasure was written on his face.
"It's nothing. He's been head over heels for Ivie for a long time, I decided to use it to my advantage," she shrugged.
He held a frown on his face. "Without consulting me?"
"I didn't think it was necessary."
"Itohan?" His voice was stern, his disapproval obvious.
She cupped his face. "Nothing is going to happen, I'm just going to use him."
"He thinks you're Ivie, there's no guarantee that he won't try to do anything," he firmed.
"With Father Chibuike hovering around like a mother hen, do you think that's likely?"
As if remembering, he asked, "That's right, what did he say about finding you in my office?"
She lowered her hands to her side. "Nothing, which I find strange." She had expected him to say something, but she didn't have an excuse at that time, so she hurried away. But he didn't call or send for her, he didn't chase after her. Itohan thought it was strange.
"Didn't you say he liked Ivie?" Father Ik voiced his thought, wondering too.
"I don't know."
"Or maybe he's caught on?" He considered.
Itohan shook her head. "Father Chibuike will not remain here if he knows where Ivie is."
"Then he's catching on. You need to act fast. Has he said anything about Sister Omo?"
"I think Ivie knows what happened. He said what he told her the first time is what actually happened, but I don't know what he told her the first time."
"He's more closer to her than we thought," he murmured. "That asshole of a man." His pride was still sore from all the disrespect Father Chibuike dished to him like a Christmas candy.
"Which is a good thing," Itohan responded to his earlier statement. "But it also means we need to get Ivie out of the picture."
"That has already been sorted out, I'm expelling her tomorrow."
Sister Rita was trailing behind Ivie as they went back to the convent when she got the news. The words floated on air, whispering to her ears in that hoarse thick voice. She nodded and waited until they neared her room before saying, "You've been expelled from St. Stephen, pack this night, you leave here tomorrow."
"What?" Confusion clouded her. She didn't remember doing anything wrong to warrant an expulsion, it just didn't make sense. The only offense she could be guilty of was trying to escape, but that happened minutes ago. Had the Sister told her Dean already? But there was no reception in school, how then was it possible?
Ivie's heart didn't even thud, there was just a calm nothingness occupying the void.
She knew what the words meant, that she'd been expelled. That there was no going back, no telling Father Chibuike, no telling Gaga, no retrieving her body back and it scared life out of her. She shook her head, she wouldn't let that happen, she wouldn't.
"Go and pack your things, we'll leave tomorrow morning for your new school," Sister Rita said.
Ivie didn't nod, only stared at her.
"Did you hear what I just said?"
"Yes, I heard what you just said."
"Then go."
She turned to oblige, then paused.
Her heart started to thud now as she considered what to do. She looked around and saw that they were the only ones in the corridor, the key to the gate was with Sister Rita and she didn't know how best she could struggle over the key with her.
What if Sister Rita shouted and alerted others and they all decided to lock her up until tomorrow for her new school?
She had taken four steps forward when she caught sight of a lamp and too desperate to think it through, she grabbed the it and hauled at the nun. It landed on her head and knocked her to the floor.
"Forgive me." She scrambled to her body and search frenziedly for the key.
Sister Rita was not unconscious, so she struggled weakly with Ivie, but Ivie brushed her hand aside and took the key from her pocket.
When she stood up to leave, her breath caught in her throat when she saw Mother Jose standing in front of her. The nun looked down at Sister Rita who was struggling to keep her eyes open before saying, "That one is a cockroach, she won't go down with just that, you should hurry." She thrusted some currency notes into her palm. "Don't get caught. If you come back here, there's nothing saving you again."
Ivie thanked the nun with a nod and dashed outside, hurrying towards the gate. When she opened it, she left it unlocked with the key on the padlock and flagged down a taxi. "To St. Stephen," she said.
"Miss, the fair is—" the driver started to say.
"Move this motor car before I swear on you with Ogun."
The driver clamped his mouth shut and revved the car into motioned and Ivie prayed for either God or the devil to bless her with a miracle. She didn't mind which of the divinities would help her, but she needed a kind of favour that only them could provide.
The driver pulled in front of the school after what seemed like forever and she paid him— God blessed the Mother, Ivie would be sure to visit when everything was all over and give her a generous tip— before waving him away.
She didn't bother with the gate, already knowing it was lock, and moved to stand by the wall, gauging it. Then she started to climb.
With each movement, the roughness of the wall grazed against her skin and she hissed, stinging pain shooting through her. But she kept climbing, the bruises would be nothing compared to what she would face if she went to this new school as Ivie in Itohan's body. Even the thought gave her the creeps.
By the time she got to the top of the fence, sweat trickled down her neck, disappearing into her cleavage with a rolling tickle and she scratched it away before jumping inside the fence.
She didn't wait to see if the jump alerted any of the mean security guards she had failed to outsmart in the past, and started to run.
Beads of sweat continued rolling from her face to her neck as she huffed for breath, her steps taking turns to this against the ground.
As she ran, the back of her eyes stung with tears, a liquid supplication to whichever divinity that would decide to grant her a miracle and let—BOOM! It landed right on her face and she fell backward, sitting with a a hard fall, on her bottom, twice the same night.