“We can’t shut down the school,” Mr. Jorge said. He tapped his fingers on his desk. He pinched the bridge of his nose. I saw the bags under his eyes and the tics beneath them. He was stressed just thinking about the possibility that our security had been breached.“Did no one see anything unusual?” He asked the security men and Matron and Concierge for the umpteenth time.“No, sir, we have searched and there was no sign of forced entry.”The office door was suddenly thrown up and the last security guard came in. “Actually, Mr. Jorge, I found the point of entry. There is a line of our electric fence that was cut and I found these pair of pliers on the fence.” He held it up for all to see.Mr. Jorge buried his head in his hands. “The board can’t hear of this, they will hold me responsible for putting the children in danger. We can’t break the trust of everyone who has trusted us well enough to bring their kids here. This is Edwin and Co.! Not Saint Patrick! Not some cheap public school!
“You guys.” I was standing in front of everyone in front of the Administrative building. Mr. Jorge was on the phone trying to get more security at school as soon as possible. “Let’s not panic, this will only be for one night. We can protect each other if we stay together so now let’s choose who we want to stay with. The boys can protect the girls no doubt about that but the girls can also do their bit. We are simply trying to work together to minimize the impact of tonight’s invasion.”There was a small argument about who should go with who and Aaron had to step in to diffuse it.“You guys this is not the time to argue.” Suddenly smirking he said, “Since we boys have been given the responsibility of protecting the girls it’s only fair that they get to choose which of us is most worthy to protect them.”That was enough to lighten the lingering fear and tension. Everyone nodded their approval but before we could begin to choose I felt a tug on my arm and when I looked it was Siobhan.“W
I watched him leave feeling at odds with a lot of things but shrugged it off.“It’s probably just the night and all that’s happened.”I opened Andre’s door and turned on the lights. He didn’t have a coffee table like I had in my living room so the only thing I had to move was the sofa, I pushed it against the wall and did the same to the armchair until there was a big enough space for the mattress. Because of all that happened that night, I found myself creeping into the room to check the balcony door and twisting the handle twice to make sure it was locked. I had just done that when Andre and Shewa came in carrying the mattress. Andre caught me coming out of his room.“What were you doing in there?”“Making sure our throats aren’t slit tonight. Good thing you locked your balcony door.”He gave me a look but said nothing. Shewa stood back and let him put the mattress down. He was adjusting the edges when I looked up and caught her mischievous grin. She put the points of both her index
I don't know who was more stunned. Me or him? My hand flew to my mouth.“Oh my God, Andre…I’m so sorry…” I reached for him and he jerked back away from me. “I – I didn’t mean to, I swear.”“Sure you didn’t,” his hand dropped from his cheek. “You can hit me all you want but it doesn’t change anything. I see you for what you really are, saw you ever since that day at the beach. I wasn’t just looking at you. Every other person may look at you, but they don’t see you and your faults. I see your faults and Siobhan's. I see you and yet you push me away at every turn because you are afraid that I see you for what you really are. And you do the same to me you know? You’ve always mentioned how you know me more than everyone else here and you don’t even know how close you are to the truth.” He moved further back. “But do you know what makes us so different?” He asked but didn’t wait for an answer before continuing. “I don’t lie to myself. I am as honest with myself as possible. You lie to your
“You like Andre,” she went straight to the heart of the conversation.“I don’t. I like Aaron.”Shewa scoffed. “Right. It’s easy to convince yourself.”“I don’t think I am convincing myself here, Shewa. I do like Aaron.""Remember how you didn’t want to continue the Head boy Head girl tradition? What changed? Because it seems to me like you’re going for second best when you can have what you want.”“Are you blind?!” I whispered fiercely so that Andre would not hear since the walls were so thin. “He is with Siobhan what do you expect me to do? Run up into his arms and tell him to leave my friend alone? And where do you get this idea that I am going for second best anyway? Nothing about Aaron proves second best, he wants me, he told me and was intentional about it. Intentionality, Shewa, that’s the difference between Aaron and Andre. I don’t want to be second best to anyone. You know what? Since you won't let it be, I don't hate Andre, I tried to convince myself against my feelings but h
Ask Diddy your most personal interrelationship questions. Tell Diddy everything. Go on! We dare you! Remember, the reason Ask Diddy is added to the school newspaper is to help students interact with a fellow yet an anonymous student. All secrets told to Diddy remain secret. Dear Diddy,The best way to put this, Diddy, is that I am on an assignment. No, I am not a spy or a secret agent. My assignment here is illegal and I will do whatever it takes to complete it. I can’t tell you the details but I am trying to save my clan from long-term generational poverty. We will never have to work for money or bend our knees for any other person just to live and survive. Why am I telling you this? When things get out of hand, I want you Diddy to know that I tried to warn you._Be careful. Dear Be careful,I am currently trying not to smack my head at your stupidity. It seems like one of you Edwin and Co. kids have gotten their hands on System/Worldbuilding gam
“Ready?!” Eva yelled. She was in the middle of the quarters dressed in her short blue and yellow cheer uniform with her pompoms in her hands and the blue and yellow paints on her cheek in two strokes beneath her eyes. I’m glad to see she’s recovering from the previous ordeal pretty well and it’s good. More importantly, we have the game to focus on now. I had woken up early and avoided Andre yet again as I hurriedly left with Shewa to get dressed for the big day. My uniform was pressed and hung and ready. As I dressed so did the other cheerleaders until one by one we began to file out to join a beaming Eva.“Took you guys long enough,” she said her smile bright.“Everyone is excited about the game but it seems like you barely slept at all,” Janet commented.“Yeah because I am assistant cheer captain and I am leading my exam.”“Don’t let Siobhan hear you, she might think you are trying to take her spot as captain,” Shewa laughed.I observed Eva closely and reached for her hand. “Are you
The stadium was a common one where we have had games before but for this day alone the lights were on in full glare. We had arrived earlier than the other school though it was mid-day so it was as good a time as any to secure good seats. We were directed to a place very close to the court and since we cheerleaders were essential in the game as well we got to take front seats. The Class 2 students found equally good seats and before mid-afternoon came around we were watching a group of middle school students whose school had booked the stadium for that afternoon to practice their tap dance routine.When the lights turned down an announcement came up on the PA system.“15 minutes until the long-awaited game between Edwin and Co. And St. Patrick’s. It is a game like no other because we are here to witness the beginning of many young careers here today!”We cheered and pumped our pompoms in the air, our white sneakers making thumping sounds on the bleachers.St. Patrick’s students were be
When I woke up it was the morning of the next day. My room was bright and I couldn’t open my eyes because of that but when I tried to lift my hand to shield my eyes I discovered there was someone holding it. For a moment I panicked thinking I was back in Mainland, restrained. But when I opened my eyes it was Siobhan and she had tears in her eyes.“Siobhan?”She threw herself at me and hugged me tight. “You are alive! I was worried. I was so worried I was never going to see you again.”I hugged her right back because I had missed her so much. My heart ached at the thought at I could easily have died and never seen her again. But when I released her and saw the bandage on her wrist my heart lurched.“Oh my God Siobhan, what did you do?!” I asked sitting up.She cried and told me what happened and as I listened I found it increasingly hard to believe what she was saying. There’s no way I can be Edna and Anton’s daughter. And Siobhan had tried to kill herself because of that?I felt so so
Andre’s POVIt was a lot of hours since we got the call from Carol. Anton already had the money ready. The rest of the group had gone to freshen up but I was told to stay back at the hospital.“But, Mr. Hayes, Carol wants me. That’s the only condition she offered for releasing Bianca, the money doesn’t matter.”“I will not leave you to her mercies. You are the only link I have to your father and if I must do something right, I will take you under my wings and look after you like a son. But I want you to stay here and look after Siobhan, make sure she doesn’t try to hurt herself again, and talk to her when she wakes up.”I nodded my head but I was still worried.“What if Carol doesn’t…”“I have enough money to bribe her to leave you alone. I can only hope she accepts it and leaves you alone for good.”Tears filled my eyes as I doved into his arms for a hug. He hugged me just as tight.“It’s the least I do for what happened to your father. Now stay back and keep Siobhan safe.”“Yes, sir
“I’ve got a call,” he announced to everyone else. We all gathered together, forming a small circle. He waited until everyone was there before picking the call. The phone wasn’t on loudspeaker but I strained my ears to hear what Carol had to say. Of course, she demanded money and made the request I knew she was going to make. Give me Andre Rios.When Anton dropped the phone from his ear he sighed.“Well?” Cole asked impatiently.“She will let Bianca go for a price and in exchange for Andre.”Four pairs of eyes turned to me, three of them curious to know why Carol would make such a specific request.It was Cole who voiced the question. “Why does she want you?” he demanded. “What do you have to do with this?”I started to answer truthfully but Anton interrupted me. “He has nothing to do with it but we will give her the money she wants and negotiate for him,” he pointed at me.Cole wasn’t convinced with his answer but the look in Anton’s eyes was one that demanded respect for his decision
Bianca’s POV“You said this was Siobhan Hayes!” Dez argued.“I said this is the girl, don’t put words into my mouth, Dez. And try not to argue with me. What did you learn?”Carol had sent Dez out early to scout for information around town. She wanted to be sure the police weren’t on their tail. But Dez didn’t have such good news.“The news is, one of the students missing from Edwin and Co., the Head Girl, is Bianca Davis and she was last seen in the company of a gang woman in Mainland.” Dez, though short had the build of a boxer and from the scars on him, I could see he has been in his own fair share of vicious fights. If I tried to escape how many steps would I take before he overpowered me?I didn’t even want to think about escaping. I just prayed silently that some miracle would happen and I would be allowed to go home.Carol listened to Dez for a moment and then nodding her head, looked in my direction.“Turns out you are causing a whole lot more trouble than I expected.” She turn
The next morning after a sleepless night I heard a knock on my door. I sat upright in bed thinking it was Siobhan. I was ready to confess now but first I needed to call Carol.But when the door swung open it was not Siobhan that was standing there, it was Edna. Her eyes were puffed and red and she looked extremely vulnerable.“Can I come in?”“It’s your house ma’am, you can,” I responded humbly climbing out of the bed. She walked over and sat gingerly on the edge of the bed. I joined her not knowing what to say or do.“Do you think I am a monster?” she asked. Her hazel eyes stared into my soul. I know what color Bianca’s eyes are, they are hazel but they definitely didn’t look like this woman’s. Yet…the possibility was there. “You are Andre, right? My daughter’s classmate. Tell me, Andre, and be honest with me, do you think I am a monster?”“You did exchange a child for one of the craziest reasons I have ever heard, anyone would think what you did was insane. But you cared for Siobhan
“When we couldn’t have a child I resorted to drastic measures…”“Yes, you invited me to your mom, Mrs. Hayes, under the guise of a friendly invitation, drugged me, and assaulted me in the hopes of getting pregnant when you feared your husband was sterile. You almost destroyed my marriage!” Bianca’s dad yelled holding on to his wife protectively.Judging by Siobhan’s reaction to the news this was the first time she ever heard of it. Her mouth hung open and if Anton hadn’t been holding her she probably would have fainted.“I apologized for that,” Edna moaned softly, her voice croaked. “I know it doesn’t change what I did but I regretted my actions that day, I felt like a monster for almost destroying you, and believe me even now I regret that decision.”“Yet you made another terrible decision, Edna. When does it end? The lies, Edna, when do they end?”“They end now. I’ll tell you what happened.” She sniffed. “Years after we got over that unpleasant issue I found out why we couldn’t have
Bianca’s POVIt’s hard not knowing what your abductors want from you.Well, I wasn’t blindfolded so I could see everything going on and one thing I realized was there was no way out for me. There was nowhere to run to when we were on the road and when we bypassed security and got to Mainland, Carla pulled out a gun and made sure I kept my lips shut as we made our way to town to a house she said belonged to Andre’s dad. It was a nice house but as we walked past rooms and halls I could see that it was lacking financially.How many more lies, Andre?Thinking about him broke my heart because I didn’t know what to think. Just last night we confessed our love to each other and found comfort and pleasure in our bodies. What was he hiding even then? Why wouldn’t he tell me?Even though my heart fought hard against my doubt it felt like everything was a lie. He and Carla – if her name is Carla at all, had it all planned. The ease with which I was taken out of school shows careful planning. Als
“Who is he?” Was Anton Hayes’s first question as soon as we got into the house. Siobhan’s mom had grabbed her almost as soon as we came out of the car, hugging her and crying as she kissed Siobhan’s hair and face.I think that was about the same time Mrs. Hayes noticed me standing there with my small luggage. Her eyes were hazel unlike Siobhan’s and very curious as she took in my appearance.“He is my classmate,” Siobhan said. “He lives far away so I offered him a place to stay. He can stay here right Dad?”Anton was staring at me a little too closely and I felt uncomfortable but then he grunted and I guess that means yes. A housekeeper came to carry our bags and I suppose she was going to prepare a room for me too.“What happened?” Mrs. Hayes asked, going back to hysterical. “The school suddenly called and asked that all students should be taken out of school. It’s all over the news but no one is saying anything. What happened?”Siobhan shared a glance with me and as she had been doi
“Please don’t!” Carol cried, putting her hand up.to stop him. “I will go with him, Alex. I will go to Edwin and Co. with him and get Siobhan back.”Alex stopped moving. His eyes were glazed over and he continued to stare at my pathetic state on the floor with Carol cradling my head on her shoulder. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t look like he could utter a word as he stared in a trance. I coughed and blood sputtered out of my mouth. Carol cleaned it up her face etched with worry lines.“I d-don’t…” I managed to say.“You have to.” Her voice was firm, her tone strong. “Come let’s get you away from here,” she said as she helped me up. I took a few steps, grunting in pain as I did and came to stand in front of Alex. He didn’t move out of the way but Carol steered me away from him and helped me as I walked away from the room.I heard a thud and went I glanced back Alex was on his knees on the floor. I looked away but I didn’t hear his sobs as he cried and wondered how he could have beat