CHAPTER 65

'What's up?" Lisa asked when I entered the room.
'You look moody."
'It's nothing." I shook my head.
'Um, where's Charles?"
'Oh, he left already. He asked after you but you didn't show up."
I felt a bit of relief mixed with disappointment knowing that he was gone.
'But you'll probably see more of him when he visits again. He used to be a student here but left due to some complicated reasons.
Anyway, enough about my annoying cousin, what's wrong with you and don't lie to me." She kept a firm face and waited with her arms folded across her chest.
'Okay," I threw my bag on my bed and sat down beside her.
'I'm just freaked out about this ORION and THE REDS thing."
'You've got nothing to worry about, just stay out of their way and you'll be fine."
I didn't know how to tell her that I was already involved with their current leader who had made it a mission to frustrate me at every given opportunity.
'Or is there something you want to tell me?" She raised an eyebrow.
I figured it was now or never. I had to tell someone about Ryan otherwise it might eat me up inside and I didn't know how much longer I had before that would happen.
'Actually, there is."
'I'm listening." She sat up and waited for me to continue.
'Years ago, I met Ryan in high school and it was a bittersweet experience for me."
Her eyebrows shot up at this.
'I remember Alison asked you about him before.
We noticed you always act weird when he's around, but you said there
Was nothing wrong. So you lied?"
'I just wasn't ready to talk about it yet."
'Okay, go on. What happened between you guys?"
'He… um, he…"
'He did what?"
'We got close, first as friends but then we kind of became something more."
'As in, a couple?"
'Not really but there were definitely some feelings involved but now that I think of it, maybe any true feelings were only on my side.
Anyway, one day we met at a restaurant to celebrate his admission into the university and I had no idea that I'd walked right into a trap. He organized the whole thing, the empty restaurant, the drugged food and drinks. I passed out and when I woke up, he and his friends were there. I was gang-raped and mercilessly beaten. He let me go but sometimes, I wish he'd left me to die or did the job himself because the shame and embarrassment were just too much to
Bear.
It was so bad that I had to see a therapist for a year after the incident. I chose to become home-schooled because I didn't know how to be around people anymore, especially guys and I despised them, every single one of them."
'That's terrible, I'm so sorry." Lisa shook her head. 'Now I
See why you used to get upset whenever I used to
Force you to
Talk to guys, I really had no idea, I'm so sorry."
'You couldn't have known." I shrugged.
'Do you still, I mean do you still fear them?"
I sighed and massaged my forehead to relieve
Some tension.
'It's called Androphobia. I can't help it at times. I just want to be far away from men."
'But what if the guy doesn't mean any harm?"
'It's not as bad as it used to be, I can interact with them now but back then was when I was at my lowest point. I used to have panic attacks and that's something I haven't had in years until Ryan showed up. I guess the shock of seeing him again triggered it."
'Shouldn't you report him to the authorities? He can't go scot-free."
I chose my next words carefully before I spoke.
'I can't report him for the same reason you can't seem to bring yourself to speak about Mr. David to the school authorities. We're both afraid."
'This is different." Lisa took in a sharp breath and I saw tears form in her eyes but she blinked and brushed them away.
'How is it different?"
'He could fail me in my course or… or find a way to
Make the rest of my stay in this university a living hell, there are consequences but if I keep quiet, I can avoid them."
'That's the thing, Lisa, we're already suffering from some sort of consequence. You know what you felt like when you got
Those test results from the hospital for your test. I was
Mentally and emotionally unstable for nearly a year and I attempted suicide at some point in time."
Lisa froze at my words. 'You did what?"
'I know exactly how it feels to want to end it all. I tried it too but I couldn't go through with it, there was no way I could watch you try to kill yourself the same way I tried to years ago."
'You know what?" She said.
'What?" I asked.
'I'm glad you didn't go ahead with it, otherwise, I would never have met you."
'I'm glad I didn't too." I smiled.
At that moment, I was truly glad that God had given me a second chance.
There was still more to life for me that what I'd been through. I knew I had to let go of the stigma of the past and although it was difficult, I had a reassurance that things could only get better… but of course they had to get worse first because three days later, we got an emergency phone call from the hospital informing us that Stacy was involved in an accident along with John and a few other friends of theirs.
'It has to be related to these stupid cultists."
Alison hissed as she paced the room. 'I've warned Stacy several times that John is no good for her, that guy is poison!"
'Lower your voice, okay?" Lisa snapped at her.
'Shouting isn't going to solve anything."
'Maybe if you guys had let me shout at her enough,
She wouldn't be fighting for her life in the hospital right now. I heard the school authorities informed her parents, if they get to know the truth, she might be transferred to another university."
'This is so messed up," I whispered.
'Can we go and see her?"
'Not yet, only her family is allowed to see her now," Lisa said.
'All we can do is pray because her life might literally depend on it."
Reality set in and that was when I realized that whether we liked it or not, the battle between the cults had already started and the longer it lasted, the more people would get hurt.
On the other side of campus
Ryan paced his hostel room furiously and cussed several times with such venom that if words could kill, someone would be dead by now.
'Just calm down, this could mean nothing. It's not like he's trying to reclaim his title or position." 'And what if he does?"
'Then you simply take him out of the picture."
'I've come too far to let this slip right out of my hands." Leo shook his head vehemently.
'Since back in my High school days. I did all that was required and went through with every task for the initiation. I even-'
He shut his eyes as if he wanted to wipe away a bad memory. Vicker looked on with curiosity, waiting for him to complete his sentence.
'Does this have anything to do with that girl?"
'Which girl?" Ryan asked sharply.
'You know the one, Monica."
'I thought we agreed never to speak about that again? What's done is done."
'Not when it seems that you regret it."
'Don't get me wrong, okay?" Ryan turned to him. 'I don't regret anything and if I had a chance to go back in time, I'd do it again."
Just then Ryan's phone rang and he checked it was Grace.
Ever since their previous encounter a few days ago, he hadn't bothered to contact her. She had come up with all sorts of reasons to justify his actions including the fact that exams were coming up soon even though she knew he
Wasn't the studious type.
'What do you want, Grace?" Ryan answered, without bothering with a greeting.
Vicker's ears immediately became tuned to the conversation once he heard her name mentioned. Since the time at the restaurant, they'd had no other opportunity to see each other.
She always had an excuse to avoid their meetings and he was quickly getting impatient.Grace had to make up her mind. It was either him or Ryan. She had to pick one.
'Listen, I'm busy, that would be another time."
Vicker's fists clenched by his sides to restrain the anger he felt. It was clear to him that Grace was repeating the same thing she did years ago. She hadn't changed at all.
'I said if I need you, I'll call you, don't make me angry."
He ended the call and tossed his phone to the bed.
'That girl just doesn't know when to back down."
'Don't you think you should treat her better?" The words escaped Vicker's lips
Before he could reel them back in.
'What was that?" Ryan asked slowly.
Vicker mentally decided on whether it was wise to retreat or proceed.
'All I'm saying is that she's been with you for quite some time now."
'So what?" Ryan shrugged.
It wasn't the first time Vicker wished girls would see Ryan for who he truly was and not the image he presented to them in the first instance.
'You know what, forget it."
Ryan watched him suspiciously and said nothing.
'I've got to go now," Vicker said as he shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another.
'Go ahead," Ryan said in a tone that didn't sound reassuring at all.
Vicker immediately left the room without a backward glance. As soon as he was gone, Ryan picked up his phone and dialed a number.
'Mikel (M.K), I need you to do something for me."
'Yes, boss?"
'Keep an eye on Vicker, let me know his whereabouts, who he talks to, what he's doing and when he's doing it. Don't leave out any detail."
'Yes boss."
'Good, you'll get a reward if you do the job well."
'I'm on it."
Ryan had taught himself to trust no one and he'd survived for this long as the leader of THE REDS. If Viker had anything up his sleeves, Ryan planned to be one step ahead of him always.