His eyes opened wide. He kicked the covers from his body and sprinted to the door. He peeked outside for about five seconds then closed the door, very silently. ‘Mother; where are you?’ he spoke into the phone as he scurried back towards the bed. His voice was hushed. ‘Everyone is looking for you. And by everyone I mean the police.’‘How have you been, son?’ she asked him. She sounded like she was in high spirits.He could feel her smile. Its warmth was radiating through the phone. He smiled too. ‘I’m fine, mother. Everything is fine this side but you…where are you? Tell me where you are and I’ll come get you.’‘Do not worry about me, my boy. I’m fine, I’m seriously fine,’ she laughed as if in emphasis to her claim.‘Maybe now but definitely not for long,’ said Sineas. ‘The police are looking for you. You were on the news…’‘The new

The indoor basketball court or gym room was now packed. After two hours of students and teachers filing in, people finally got settled in the stands. The stands were occupied by the students and just beside them, chairs had been placed for the teachers. In the middle of the court was the podium and five metres to its right sat the victims’ families. The chairs were arranged in pairs and in the lead were Justin Foyer’s younger sister and mother and behind them were Justin’s other relatives and Miss Bale’s relatives as well. They had not been formally introduced. All of them summed up were at least twelve. Sineas and Clarissa were in the top stands, sitting patiently like the rest of the students, waiting for the service to get underway. A few teachers had attempted to quieten the students’ conversations down but were barely successful. They decided to give up. Even the hard-shelled Mr. Regwizini had tried his military no-nonsense tactics but had fa

‘I, uh…I never knew Justin. All I’ve ever heard about him is that he was a man of honour and promise and a man with a very bright future. And all I can say to that is…’ he looked up into the stands.Clarissa was still wearing that smile. She gave him another thumbs up.He turned back to the other eyes. The hundreds of executioners’ eyes. ‘…Yes…Yes he was,’ he continued. ‘Justin was a true sportsman. He was multitalented and was, in my opinion, the best student role model this school will ever know. He had plenty of scholarships in his pocket, awards in his closet, more than enough open doors but unfortunately, a sick and twisted person…or people, for their own unknown reasons, decided to cut Justin’s destiny short. I never knew Miss Bale that well either. But for the short time I was in her presence, she was able to bless me with her well advanced intellect and deep wisdom. I felt a sense of

Sineas could hardly believe his eyes. The Luciferian smirk on the inspector’s face made him feel like a real criminal.Aunt Janice said, ‘Can you fetch these two gentlemen some water to drink?’ She did not look up however.Sineas took his sweet time, first having his staring contest with the inspector. The deputy’s eyes were hidden from him. Sineas finally walked back into the kitchen and came back carrying two cups of cold water. He handed the two their water then sat down on Aunt Janice’s left side. Deputy James was facing Sineas and Inspector Charles was facing Aunt Janice. The fact that the two officers were in higher seats than him and his aunt made him feel vulnerable to a large extent.The inspector picked his hat from the floor beside him and placed it on top of his knee. He said, ‘Alright. Now that most of the family is here, I’m going to go ahead and tell you the rules of this talk before we begin. Rule number

Even after the policemen had left, Sineas and his aunt stayed in their sitting positions for a bit longer. Both were obviously thinking.‘You think they’ll be back?’ Sineas asked her.She tried to look at him but she only gave him a glimpse then turned back to the carpet. She answered, ‘These are the police, Sin. What do you think?’He stood up and looked down at her. ‘Aunt Janice, I’ve seen first-hand how quick these guys are to jump to conclusions. They’ll do anything to make sure their half-baked evidence sticks.’‘I’m not going to prison, Sineas,’ she said. ‘I’m not going to let any prison record mar my job opportunities.’‘Aunt Janice, do you think that matters right now? If Charles makes this evidence stick on either or both of us we’re looking at life imprisonment with no possibility of parole!’Her eyes immediately flared up. She jumped to