Bimbo: (raises an eyebrow)
Vivian: (looks at Bimbo) We saw this old man in a sack and
Vic: Yeah, and it was in the middle of nowhere, weird. But since we were lost, I had to ask him stuff.
Vivian: … which was a bad idea.
Vic: … But lucky for us, he showed us the way, but instead we met him for the second time in an old shack and
Vivian: He didn't show us anything; he chased us halfway across the country!
Vic: But thanks to it, we found an old guy in a shack who
Vivian: Femi, and this idiot collected a bewitched newspaper from someone whom he has never met.
Vic: Well, you have no right to talk about strangers when you followed one through nowhere.
Vivian: I didn't.
Vic: You did.
Vivian: There wasn't.
Vic: … I'm pretty sure there was.
Vivian:... (bows her head and groans in frustration).
Bimbo: (she shows surprise at first but laughs it off) Hah, you two aren't serious (she sits next to them) Where is my snack?
Vic: Oh, it's right here...
Vic opened his bag and gave her a transparent leather bag filled with what looked like cheese balls. They were hard and round but with a yellowish texture.
Bimbo carried it from his hand and stared at it like it was something else.
Bimbo: What is -
Before she could finish, just at that moment, a student ran to one of the back entrances of the building, yelling at the top of his lungs.
Guy: 'AH' you people, we're in trouble, the lecturers; all of them have been kidnapped!
Bimbo: Lies!! Get out of here,
Guy: I'm telling the truth. I went to submit my math 101 assignment, and I saw no one in the office.
The class was filled with terror and murmurs. The math lecturer was always around; even when he didn't have classes, 'the student could be on to something' everyone thought, but Bimbo remained calm.
Bimbo: (she stands up) Calm down everyone; there's no way someone would kidnap grownups in broad daylight; let's be reasonable. (She faces the guy at the door) And you, why would you just assume they were kidnapped?
Silly Ben: You're right, they were 'adult' napped!
A brief but painful silence swept through the class as everyone heard what came from the boy's mouth.
Bimbo: (looks at Ben then rolls her eyes and hisses, now facing the guy at the door) Continue, guy.
Guy: Well, I went to look for the lecturer, and he wasn't around. So as I was leaving the office, I saw some strange men discussing how'successful the kidnapping of the lecturers' was. I heard it with my own two ears.
The whole class gasped in shock, and the murmurs got louder.
It wasn't easy to get everyone's attention in that hall, but the guy had succeeded in that.
Bimbo: You just heard rubbish, that's all. Now go sit down; MAT 101 will be starting any minute from now, and I don't want the lecturer complaining about loud gossip like you.
The student looked at Bimbo with disgust and then slowly went into the hall and mixed with the crowd.
The rowdy crowd that accepted him with questions first.
An hour passed.
The MAT 101 lecturer hadn't come to the hall.
Bimbo sat on the same desk since then, trying to contact the lecturer—anyone really. But the strange situation showed itself, as the mobile network seemed not to be in the school at the moment.
She couldn't reach anyone.
Student 1: (shouts) Has anyone seen the MAT 101 lecturer? It's been TWO HOURS now!
Student 2: (also shouts) BIMBO GO AND FIND THE MAT TEACHER NOW, SOME OF US ARE TIRED, OH!
Vivian: 'Hehehe' he said, a math teacher.
Student 3: Guys, what if…
Bimbo: (yells) YOU A LOT SHOULD KEEP QUIET! Can't you see I'M?
A guy runs into the hall from one of the back entrances and stops at the centre of the class with his hands on his laps, gasping for air.
Guy: There's no what if; the faculty building is completely empty!
Bimbo: (whispers to herself) This isn't good.
Guy: Hey, That means...
Student guy 4: It is finished.
Student girl 1: What if they were charmed?
Bimbo: what?
Student Girl 2: It's true Oh, those lecturers like food and money.
Bimbo: Come on, charms aren't real.
Student guy 1: Dey there, naw—keep telling yourself that.
Student girl 2: clueless dog
Bimbo: 'tch' why you...
Student girl 3: Should we call the police?
???: NO!
A guy got up on his feet.
He stood horizontally across Bimbo's position.
His hair was scruffy, along with everything he wore. He had the eyes of a well experienced lunatic, and a tribal mark drew vertically across the side of his left eye.
His height was tall, but his structure wasn't complementing it.
Students of the university knew him as...
A known troublemaker in the department.
He and his group were suspects in many bad and irresponsible happenings around the campus.
He yelled at the class as if having something important to say.
He only spoke in pidgin, but for literal reasons, he would appear to be a keen English native.
Vic (from where he was sitting with Vivian): Well, go get her, Osas!
Vivian: (looks at Vic in disgust and shifts farther into the desk—away from him.)
Osas: See, you guys should calm down; let us assess the matter.
Random girl: but we already
Osas: SHUT UP!
…
The hall went semi-silent with a few noise pockets here and there.
Osas: So the lecturers are gone, abi? Then why are we wasting our strength on this argument when this is a good thing? Someone should ask me how
Random follower: how boss?
Osas: See, if there are no lecturers, then all we have to do is fend for ourselves; after all, it is only the taker of the test that knows how he will do in the exam.
Random follower 2: YES!
Bimbo: Well done, Osas, yet again, your words have managed to be meaningless (stands on the desk in front of her), but do tell me, what exactly are you saying we should do without lecturers, to pass on to us what they know, give us scores, and at the end, play major roles in our coronation? Or do you expect us to lecture ourselves?
People turned to watch Bimbo.
Osas: That Bimbo isn't a bad idea at all. Wait—why don't we learn our courses on our own and employ that knowledge in a way we personally understand? Or wouldn't that be preferable to cramming our heads with the exact teachings of our so-called lecturers? Would it not be better if you had a chance to learn and implement it your own way?
!!!
'It will, oh'
'You have a point'
'Maybe he's right.
'Bimbo is confused as usual.'
Bimbo: (folds her arms and smirks) And how do you expect us to handle our scores and grades by ourselves?
The hall went silent; everyone turned to Osas.
Osas: Oh, we will grade ourselves to the best of our knowledge.
Then they turned to Bimbo,
Bimbo: And who will relay the scores you lot give yourselves to the Senate?
They turned to Osas again.
…
Osas: (in a low tone) Y-you?
Bimbo: what? Speak up!
Osas: (points at Bimbo) YOU OF COURSE
Bimbo: And why me? Because I'm the class rep?
She was simply unshakeable.
Bimbo: Go back to your seat, Osas; this is unlike you.
Osas: (snickers) Whether you're in or not, you're going to be the one to relay our scores.
Bimbo: Don't be absurd; I won't do such a thing under you.
Osas: (spreads his hands) But you will, and to all my fellow coursemates, we need to spread the news of this new dawn; your support will be greatly appreciated.
Bimbo: HEY! GET THIS CLEAR OSAS! (points at him) I AM NOT GOING TO BE INVOLVED! I'm calling the police.
!!!
The class broke up on that statement from Bimbo.
"WHAT ARE YOU SAYING NOW?"
"WE DON'T NEED LECTURERS, PLEASE."
"WHO DID THEY HELP?"
"CLASS REP WOULD JUST GIVE US SCORES."
"THIS IS STUPID OH."
"SHUT UP"
"SHUT UP EVERYONE."
"I GO SLAP YOU, OH!!"
"IF ANY ANIMAL CALL POLICE, EH!?"
The hall was going into chaos with people fighting and arguing with one another on the case of whether the police should be involved or not, while some apathetic students were leaving the hall with no care whatsoever.
Random girl: You people should wait for a little for confirmation; after that, we can call the police and see...
Random guy 2: The police will never find them now; let's just forget them; they're all wicked after all.
Bimbo: You shut up; no one should go anywhere; you all should wait here.
Random girl 6: But we should still call them; after all, it's still us that will suffer it.
Bimbo: uhm…
Random guy 4: For what? I said leave them; let them be kidnapped.
People kept leaving in numbers while some kept arguing if the lecturers were needed in the first place, and a small group of people called for peace. Not everyone cared about the lecturers being missing.
Bimbo: (bites her nails) This is bad.
Vic: No, it's not.
Bimbo turns to see Vic and Vivian on their way out.
Bimbo: Where are you both going?
Vivian: Hostel for me; I'm sleepy.
Vic: And I feel like drinking garri, a-s-a-p!
Bimbo: No way, you two aren't leaving me; find a way to fix this or I'll finish you two with my bare hands!
Vic: Woo, spicy
Vivian: What he said
Bimbo: (storms past them) Stay here. I'm going to investigate on my terms, clear? And no one should call the police yet, or this would get out of hand. I'm coming.
She leaves.
Vic: (looks at Vivian, who looks at him; he then reverts his eyes.) Heh, this would be fun!
Vivian: … What do you think?
Vic: About Bimbo? Nah, she's always been like that. She'll be fine once this is all over.
Vivian: "I was talking about the lecturers'; when will it be over?
Vic: When something happens-
Vivian: Something like what?
Vic: … Hmm (tilts his head)
Vivian: …?
Vic: … Hey, this all feels familiar. (Brings out the newspaper from his bag.) Didn't the Daily 9 say something about all this?
Vivian: huh? 'oh!' (her eyes open)
Vic: yeah! (Points at a section on the newspaper) Right here, about the lecturers being kidnapped.
Vivian: It's a coincidence.
Vic: There's no coincidence. This paper might actually be legit. And according to it, we're the ones who can save those guys. We're their ray of hope!
Vivian: …
Vic: So, what do you say we get this over with? You can be a hero! Or, some other popular entity.
Vivian: N-nah, I'm not getting involved.
Vic watched her thread ahead. He bit his lip and opened his mouth as if to say something, but he wasn't one to force people. She walked out the door and turned halfway to look back at him.
Vivian: See you later...
Vic: Where are you going? Bimbo said we shouldn't leave.
Vivian: so? She turns back to look at him. She won't notice I'm gone anyway.
Vic: Hey, at least help me out; I'm going to look for clues in the staff room.
Vivian: suit yourself; just don't drag me into it (turns around and leaves the hall).
There he stood, confused.
Vic:'sighs' just great...
Vic looked behind him to see that while the students were fighting by the side of the class, a small number of people who listened to Bimbo were some female front benchers and Paul, who was talking to them from the seat behind.
Now, Vic didn't want to go investigating alone.
As confident as he was in himself, he didn't trust his abilities.
He needed someone to help him understand the clues he might find. Finding Bimbo was not an option; he wasn't ready for her flavour of drama.
Then he thought of Paul; taking him to the staff room didn't feel like a bad idea.
He had no other choice.
So he ran up to the front of the hall,
Jogging down the stairs with his hands stretched sideways to where Paul was sitting.
Vic: (taps Paul's shoulder) Come on, Paul, we are leaving.
Paul: Eh? Oh Vic. What happened? Didn't you hear the class rep say...
Vic: Just follow me; we need to find clues in the staff office.
Paul: Oh, clues, ahbi? (His face brightens.) Why didn't you say so since
Vic: I just did; let's go (he starts towards the door).
Paul: I'm coming! (stands up and faces the girls.) I'll talk to you girls later, okay?
Girl: We weren't talking to you.
Paul: huh?
Vic: dude!
Paul: I'm coming now (he slowly walks up to Vic, dragging his feet and feeling embarrassed).
Vic: 'ha-ha'
Paul: Stop it, please...
Girl: Did you hear those two? They're going to solve this thing on their own.
Girl 2: They should just leave the matter; after all, Bimbo would call the police and we would start classes again like normal.
Girl 3: Some people are just daft; why can't they just leave the thing?
Girl: But if nothing happens, we're calling the police, okay?
Girl 3: Why not?
Girl 4: me I don't want to fail, oh. Those idiots better mind their own business and...
Vic: (turns around and shouts) You people shouldn't call the police. Oh, I, personally, would end this quickly, so no need.
Then from the arguing crowd
Girl 10: Vic, you're going to call the police; that's nice of you...
Osas: Who is going to call who? VIC MIND YOURSELF OH, NO PUT YOUR HAND FOR WETIN, NO CONCERN YOU
Vic: (sticks out his tongue)
Osas: You think I'm joking, ba?
Girl: 14: Abeg, leave him to let him help...
Osas: Your mama there, SHUT UP HAG.
Girl 14: (gasp)
Girl 10: (slaps the guy) You're very mad; how could you...
Osas: You slap me??
Girl 10: Yes (puts her hand on her waist) and I'll do it again.
Osas: You WITCH!!!
Vic: 'hehehe' fight would soon start (to Paul). Let's be going, guy.
Paul: Hmm (looks at his feet)