In a little while a mean looking young doctor arrived Miss Lola's house wearing a short sewn white lab coat, a long goatee and a very strange look with a dirty looking silvery white bag.
I had a long hot bath wincing anytime water touches the open wounds on my arm and below the eyes. Flashes of the forest escapade kept reoccurring in my mind giving me Goosy chills.
Had a change of cloth Miss Lola dropped in the same room i first got to meet Mrs Diamond, a blue jean and a new black trouser.
Down in the lounge, the dinning was set and ready for us and the doctor was with skull one side of the lounge whispering while he slid rubber gloves down his wrists nodding to Skull's whispers.
The doctor had my arm cleaned and bandaged in no time, gave i and Ebuka some very bitter white pilss drink and then sends Dave through series of moans and groans as he massaged the severed ankle and then applies a bandage on it.
We delved into the food like people who have been in a desert for more than 1 week without food and water, the different varieties we were served all got wiped out in no time.
the drinks were washed down with so much gusto that Miss Lola's girls who did the chores in the house giggled to themselves as the watched us eat.
After the meal we went back into the lounge to seat and relax and then plan our next move back to school. we risk expulsion if our absence has been noticed without permission which i am very sure i must have been.
Skull gestured on Lola to come to him, he whispered some inaudible words into her ears and she gestured with i don't know reply opening both her arms and blanking her face.
His eyes glistened in the dawn and his features revealed a more feeble looking character than i have imagined.
we have always met Skull in the night and it's always shadowy and smoke filled and i have always imagined him to wear a fearful face with maybe a large beard and fearful body.
His voice; croaky broad was almost impossible to reconcile with the figure that has it.
Contrary to what i imagined, he was shorter, leaner and an oldly looking innocent face with a trimmed beard. The bold voice didn't match the figure it came with.
I looked on as Skull started walking towards us in the lounge, worry and doubt was written on his facial look and a pinch of sadness was undeniable.
He sat on a large sofa opposite us, sighed and leaned back into the sofa.
"So my young friends, i welcome you all back am very happy you boys are back?" He said reaching out to grab a stick of long thick brown ciga from the three foot dwarf who walked in.
A puff of smoke followed immediately ..
"Miss lola was right you boys are quite good and i can see you boys are survivors" He said .
"Thank you sir" We replied simultaneously.
"So boys what happened to the goods you were supposed to deliver?"
Ebuka got up, went in towards the room on the left flank after the stairs and came back carrying the dirty looking black pack dropped it on the glass table in front.
"We save it sir" Ebuka said with an air of pride.
Skull and Lola exchanged a surprised look at each other then a gleamy smile smeared on his face.
"That is very good boys, very good" He smiled at us then another puff of smoke.
"I need you guys to lie low for now, i will make sure i bury this case in the police to make sure none of you are implicated or any investigation carried out"
"Thank you sir" I said
"And i will credit your accounts with 200k each for everything you went through for us, just lie low and enjoy while the dusts settles ok?"
"Yes sir" We sang out casting smiley glances at each other.
My phone rang just as i was discussing with Ebuka and Dave on how to go back to school or what tale we were going to cook up for suddenly disappearing from school.
'Aunty Anita' was written on the broken screen of my phone, i looked from Ebuka to Dave and they gestured me to pick the call.
"Hello ma"
"where are you?" She barked out immediately..
"I am… we are.. No i am " I stammered into the receiver running my eyes all over the place like i was looking for somewhere with bold written words of the answer i was supposed to give.
"Sky shut up and tell me where you are?" She came again very bluntly.
"I am in my home" I intoned in a shaky tone.
"On whose permission?"
"It was an emergency ma" i replied.
"Sky, a disciplinary file of unauthorized absence has just been moved to my office and i know for sure you did not go home, you are risking expulsion young man". she said
"I am Sor… i am .. what can we, No.. what can i do?" I asked
"Come back to the school early morning tomorrow and report directly to my office on your school uniform before any other thing and tell Dave and Ebuka to come with you, yes tell them they also have UA files on them and i know you went with them where ever in the world you boys went to.."
the line went dead in a beep and i was bombarded with questions from Ebuka and Dave impatiently.
I told them everything Aunty Anita told me and watched as their eyes popped in a fearful plight.
"Ewoo we are dead!!!" Dave exclaimed carrying his hands on his head.
Ebuka was silent but his face betrayed far much fear than Dave had.
We remained in Lola's house till the next day after which we were dropped back in front of the school by one of Skull's men in an infinity jeep quite early as Aunty Anita said.
It was still 06.34am when we arrived school, the compound was still uneventful and empty since school activities were yet to start.
We walked through the field and went into the class, i called Andrew to go to our bunks and retrieve our school uniforms that we hung on our bed posts and bring it to the class for us.
"Guys where una deh since?" he enquired as he brought out our uniforms from the back pack he brought it with to conceal them.
"Hall-B deh fear scatter since una no come back o" he intoned looking at the bandages on my hand, the scar on my eyes and Dave's ankle.
"Guy we go gist you later, just tell the B-hallers say we don land" Ebuka replied to dismiss him as he hurried back towards the dormitory.
We went down towards the staff office block now clad in our creased school uniforms, and then up the office building turned towards Aunty Anita's office.
"Will she be around this early, school has not yet started today?" Dave whispered to me.
"Ssssshhhhh" i replied gesturing with my finger over my lips.
The door to Aunty Anita's office slid open just as we were few meters away, then she popped out from inside and motioned us to walk faster into the office.
Seating back in the chair behind the desk, we stood in front of the desk with our heads bowed and our hands behind our back.
She looked from me to Ebuka and then Dave, sighed and then opened three files in front of her.
"This is the three Unauthorized Absence file moved to my office this morning by your Hall Supervisors, from the looks of your three i am sure where ever you ventured to didn't turn out too good.. Now where are you three coming from?" She asked looking directly at me this time.
"We went to sky's house ma" ebuka chipped in from no where.
"Are you boys going to lie to my face or do you want me to help you?" she asked ..
"No ma please help us" i pleaded..
"Alright i can see you three need a little time, sky i need you in my apartment right after school session today to tell me everything without holding anything back.." she said to me.
"Yes ma"
she retrieved three cards from under her desk, handed them to us.
It was an Absence authorization card dated exactly the supposed date we left school and stated we were excused to meet visit Mr Willaims, father of John Williams who is currently on admission in a hospital'
We read the cards and our face lit up in a smile..
"Thank you ma" we all intoned smiling.
"Three of you might not be so lucky next time, i will tear these report files now since you actually went out with authorization cards" she winked and continued "but you three will have to clean face some minor disciplinary measures from your hall supervisors for not informing him before leaving, at least that is better than expulsion.."
We all laughed and the door banged open immediately letting in the Mathematics teacher.
"I heard some students have been absent and it has been filed including that your boy sky" he intoned loudly on getting into the office then he saw us and stopped for a brief time and walked in looking lost.
He looked at me then dave then Ebuka, his face was twitched in a frown.
"what is happening here Anita?"
"As you can see, they have reported back and they went out with authorization, they only failed to notify their supervisors before leaving for which they will be punished" she said calmly at him.
i flashed my card for him to see well enough making him twitch his eye lid.
"There is cause for alarm please if you don't mind i will like to finish up" she said to him.
He turned and walked out still glaring at me which i returned with a mocking grin.