𝔼𝕂𝕀𝕃𝔸

14

The Chemistry lab was a zoo; the students: animals in a frenzy. The place, already filled, became more packed as students trooped in.

The noise in that room alone would be enough to tear down the school. Chidiogo looked around, feeling uncomfortable.

Since she entered the school, there had been no good reason for her to enter any of the labs but the whole S.S.2 class had been summoned and that alone was the reason she sat staring around, waiting patiently for the teacher who summoned them to arrive.

She'd engaged herself in looking around the lab—since she wasn't familiar with the students who sat by her side—but after a while, found nothing interesting.

The students were lined at the edges of a long white rectangular table with drawers and cupboards underneath it, where their legs resided. Gas tanks and drains remained hidden behind the cupboards' closed doors as she heard some others say.

The top of the table had double shelved racks fitted to it, housing beakers and conical flasks and interrupted at intervals by sinks.

Black small faucet like structures, more or less gas outlets, also protruded from the table.

On the other side of the table, opposite Chidiogo, Mmachi and the rest of her friends were seated in a similar arrangement to the one she observed in the dinning room.

Mmachi sat next to Justin with Amelia by her side. Kamsi next to Amarachi—which was weird considering that she seemed to hate the girl—with Kaima on her other side.

The light brown skinned boy—who she found out was Wale—sat next to Amara with Quinn by his side.

She observed them too having nothing else to do.

There were other things in the lab like black shelves filled with chemicals she wished to mess around with but the shelf was stationed far enough from the students with the glass door locked.

The table was free from chemicals too, a deliberate act it seemed.

Chidiogo lost count of how many times she read through the charts on the wall while awaiting the arrival of the teacher. Meanwhile, the noise in the room refused to cease.

A smallish looking girl with a chubby face had the decency to try to stop the noise but to no avail.

Chidiogo returned her attention to those seated opposite her.

Justin and Mmachi were engaged in a conversation. They spoke in hushed voices and the noise helped in covering whatever they were talking about.

It didn't interest Chidiogo in particular to eavesdrop on their conversation but having nothing else to do, she found herself observing the both of them closely.

Justin said something which made Mmachi give a small smile, one which lacked genuity. Chidiogo could tell but Justin seemed to have bought it.

He placed his left hand on hers and she jerked it away, wincing. Justin seemed worried, questioning if she was alright and she replied him, placing the same hand on his as an assurance.

The action caused her beige cardigan to pull up a bit revealing part of the white bandage around her left wrist.

Chidiogo stared at it both surprised and confused. The bandage hadn't been there earlier. That much was certain.

She couldn't have possibly gotten an injury between the last night and this afternoon, Chidiogo thought, Or could she?

She had gotten an injury on her hand prior to that when she had banged her hand against the table in her room. Chidiogo tried to remember which hand it had been on and whether it was on her wrist. She couldn't remember which it had been but she couldn't take her eyes off the bandage either.