#1
Lecture Hall
(Late morning)
Lecture Hall 1: It's a large hall that could hold a thousand people and still have breathing space. It was where some departments from social science, including forensic science, held most of their lectures.
Vic joined with his friends, or guys, as they call themselves, to sit at the centre of the hall. They had recently finished a class Physics 101 and decided to cool down in the hall before the next lecturer came in.
Machiavalian Paul: And that's how I got this new watch that you see. Do you know how much I can cash out with this thing?
Hot Harry: You are a thief, I swear. If they scam your mother, would you be happy?
Paul: What brought my mother into this?
Harry: 'Ha ha ha.' She gave birth to you; that's what
Paul: Abeg, stop it. It's not even stolen. The guy paid me for the watch, I mean
Harry: Brother, you're a thief; heaven knows that one. Why can't you stop being evil, their people, you know?
Paul: They're rich people; I don't take anything from my kind.
Harry: … your kind?
Paul: yes! Like you, Vic. people I flow with
Harry: So everyone else... is rich?
Paul: see? You're getting my philosophy now!
Harry: (nudges at Vic beside him) Vic, did Paul tell you he was sick this morning? … Vic! Are you listening?
Vic was too busy reading an insert in the newspaper from earlier.
The mysterious newspaper they got from the crazed geezer from the scrubs.
Vic snickered at what he saw.
His eyes were piercing through it; he was so engrossed in it. He was smiling at an insert about a reality TV show that will be caught drinking garri, groundnuts included.
The main takeaway being that the event had not happened yet.
Harry: GUY! (He nudges Vic on the shoulder.)
huh? What's up? What's going on?
Harry: (stares at him in the eye) What are you reading—your will?
Vic: the 'not your business' novel, Harry. It has everything on how I'm not interested in you right now; free me.
Harry: 'It's strange that this guy seeing this guy read something.' Hey, is that a newspaper, since whe-
Paul: guy! He said you should leave him alone.
Vic: Don't mind him, Paul. (Whispers) Harry has always been deaf and blind.
Harry: (roars) You say!?
After rolling the newspaper in a bundle, he stood up with his eyes closed and walked through the passageway between the desk and their tables, leaving the two guys wondering.
Harry: Hm… that guy.
Paul: 'hah' in your face, guy! He didn't even answer you.
Harry: Shut up, thief!
Paul: I'm explaining to you, but you aren't listening! I didn't scam him!
Meanwhile,
Vivian was at a corner behind the class. Her head lay on the desk as she scouted the hall, looking at people's faces and looking away when she was noticed.
Only that she looked at people who were in conversations with others.
The loudest of the class,
Or the smallest social circle.
She sat there alone, feeding their conversations. A book and a black pen were in front of her.
A novel,
But she had turned its pages into a sketchbook, but she would argue that it was a book she had read before, and she didn't want to throw it away.
She wanted to know what its characters looked like. What their lives looked like.
Her mind was her reference, but she had gotten distracted by people's lives again.
Vivian:'sigh' (relaxes her head on the desk, covering half of it with her arms).
Bam!!
Vic slams the rolled newspaper in his hand on her desk with full force.
Vivian: (looks at him) What is wrong with you?
Vic: This newspaper, it's as suspicious as that shady guy from the bush.
Vivian: Oh wow (bows her head), tell me more...
Vic: Gladly! (slams open the paper on the desk.)
Vivian: Can you stop hitting my desk? Vic: Not only is this thing bearing tomorrow's date, which is an oddity on its own, Look here (he opens a page and shows it to her). It says that all the lecturers were, or will be, kidnapped and some cooked by a powerful man called Chief Dotu. I don't know who that is, but he and his political friends are coming for this very newspaper!
Vivian: … (she looks at him in wonder) Cooked?
Vic: (looks at her with his eyes half closed)... Look, it's right here!
Vivian: Not everything you read is true. Especially if it's from that garbage compilation.
Vic: That's not the only thing (flips to the first page of the paper). Look at this extract!
He shows her a section talking about how the two of them have been jinxed by a strange man living in a field within their school. The jinx meant that they must not stop reading the daily nine newspapers every morning or they would both see the end the next day. There were no pictures, but the sight of the words alone was freaky enough.
Vivian blinked three times and read the section again. She shows slight shock but smirks after a moment of realisation.
Vivian: (hisses) That can't be true (looks down)... can it?
Vic: Yeah, it's scary (he sits beside her to read the paper).
Vivian: Whoever wrote it is mad.
Vic: Yup, for sure.
Vivian: But we'll still play along, right? In case…
Vic: Uh-huh (he discards the paper to his bag).
Vivian: (groans) Why me?? All I wanted was to be normal, but now I'm in this mess with YOU of all people!
Vic: Look at him, like he's better than everyone.
Vivian: huh?
Vic: (scoffs) Rap Richie is getting attention again! I mean, what does he have that I don't?
His attention is on a pompous looking youth dressed in colourful clothing and plaited hair. A small crowd of students alike who seem to be feeding off his attention surrounds him.
Vivian: (stares at Vic) You're a goat.
Vic: (turns to look at her) You see that wasn't necessary, you just
Vivian: How can you be spying on people at a time like this?
Bimbo, the class rep, shows up at their table, but they seem too distracted to notice.
Bimbo: Hey…
Vic: so? I'm not a goat. I'm more of a majestic animal.
Vivian: yeah! But you behave like a goat!
Vic: Not, shut up!
Vivian: You shut up; you're being stupid.
Vic says the one calling me names...
Bimbo: Hey Animals! Can't you hear me calling?
Bimbo is good at everything, especially at bossing people around. But that part of her is what most people around her find nauseating.
Bimbo: It's too early to start; keep quiet.
Vic and Vivian really like Bimbo for her overpowering attitude, coincidentally. They also like her because she looked intelligent, not just because of her composure and stellar grades but because of her glasses.
Vic and Vivian: Hi Bimbii~ (they make crude faces at each other).
Bimbo: Don't call me that, ever again...
Vic and Vivian: Hi Bimbo~
Bimbo: (she adjusts her lenses) What's happening here? And since when did you start sitting here, Vic?
Vic: Well, first of all, I sit wherever I want; it's a free school.
Bimbo: No, it isn't.
Vic: Second, nothing really happened (he said, chuckling).
Vic: See (brings out Daily Nine), I just got this free newspaper that predicts the future.