What's my sin?

Chapter 25: Fire!!!

I stood on their midst for some minutes twitching my toes. The room was silent as they all stared me down.

"Are we teaching her a lesson or what?" Snr Nifemi burst out in anger after a while. My heart skipped at those words and I wished I could disappear.

Snr Tosin got up and walked up to me. She stopped in front of me and removed her glasses. I have always wondered how she coped with it. Heard rumours that they were heavy as lead. She wiped the lens with the tip of her clothes before putting it back on.

"So you feel that you now have liver and have grown wings to disrespect the seniors in this hostel as you wish?"

" No" I retorted shivering down to my toes already. "But I didn't do it"

"Oh, so who did?" She crossed her arms waiting for my reply but I could only nod my head.

Instantly she turned back "its time". As if on cue, they all picked up the canes beside them and came towards me.

" Please, please I didn't do it" was all I could say as I stepped back.

My friends were waiting for me at the door, scared they couldn't help me. My voice was heard through the rooms that night. The matron's room was close to the dining hall and no matter how hard I screamed, it couldn't reach there. I also doubt she was around at that time because she only came visiting once in a while like whenever we had a sanitation or hostel activity, then she would go back with her son, abandoning us. I hated the system at that moment.

My friends gathered around me as soon as I came out with a swollen face.

"Sorry Ruth".

" We should report this" Dara said feeling pity for me.

"No we can't, you just have to let go if not you would make it worse" Suliat advised.

All of a sudden, a strange feeling began to well up in me. First anger, then bitterness. I forgot my pain and began to fume. I needed to do something but I didn't know what. I began to pace

"What's wrong with you?" Princess asked holding my hand.

I swatted her hands away "Leave me alone, I'm angry"

"Uh oh, don't do something stupid, let's just go in and sleep" Fathia began to urge calmly.

"That's what is annoying me, I don't know what I can do. I'm so angry right now. How can they lie on me. I didn't do it!" I spewed venom

"You have every right to be angry. But let's just go in and sleep over it. We will find the perpetrator tomorrow." Fathia continued

"No!" I snapped "That's wouldn't take back the cane I was given by all of them" I pointed to the door. Then I shouted at the top of my voice for them to hear "I am going to place a curse naked. If I'm guilty then the curse will fall on me, if not.."

Before they could stop me I stomped in anger to the bathroom and pulled off my clothes before placing a curse. One by one I saw them step out of the room to watch me. I didn't care about their presence as I was to angry to notice. When I was done, I stormed past them, past the other hostel mates who had come out to watch into my room and laid on my bed to sleep.

My friends didn't bother to tell me about the events that happened after I went in and neither did I ask. There was a sudden change of air about the hostel as I went to spread my urine dripping bed outside the next morning. No one talked to me as everyone went on their ways to have their bathes.

"Why is everyone quiet this morning?" I eventually asked.

"Well, you performed quite a feat yesterday. It isn't a negative vibe you are getting but a positive one" Fathia explained