Tokunbo.
                       "Dad!"
                      "Papa!"  She and her brother lunged for their Father as soon as he stepped into the house that Friday morning. He hadn't been home throughout the night before.
                        "Did you catch all the bad guys Dad?" Timi asked looking up into his face.
                        "I caught enough." Her father replied gruffly. "Now go get dressed so I can drop you at school before I go to work. I will sleep at the station. I hate night duty."
                          Tokunbo chuckled and pulled away from him. "Yes, papa."
                           She walked towards the dining table. Her abandoned breakfast stared coldly back at her.
                         "We got proof that the boy didn't do it." She heard her father tell her heavily pregnant mother. Tokunbo was certain the due date was very close.
                          "Which boy?"
                          "Our neighbour's son." Her eyes widened. "He was framed and falsely accused by the gang we've been trying to get rid of. A video of them beating up the boy was sent to us. Spent all night rounding them up."
                         The police finally knew! Eli was free.
                         But how?
                         She frowned at the cold custard. Who could've sent that video? There was no way it was Demi.  It had to be the guy who stole the flash.
                          On the bright side, Eli can come home!
                          "I have to tell Betty!" She murmured excitedly to herself and grabbed her bag. "I'm ready to go Papa."
                        A few minutes later, she and her brother held each other tight on her Father's bike as he drove down the school lane. A wide smile on her face. Eli would no longer need to be Demi's puppet. They would no longer worry about being expelled from school.
                      ...I had thought it was goodbye forever...
                        The smile on her face died as she recalled Vicky's words. Demi would not stop. She would keep on striking until she got what she wanted. A twisted kind of Justice.
                         Except...
                             "No." She whispered.
 
                            "Will you get off or should I  push you?' Timi hissed alerting her that they had arrived at the school gate.
                           "Behave Timilehin." Their father cautioned. After dishing out his usual instructions, he kicked his bike on.
                            "Dad!" Tokunbo called out. His brows raised in question. "Uhm... Be safe."
                            He threw a vague nod her way and zoomed off.
                            You too Tokunbo.
                            Ignoring her brother's weird looks, she stormed into the school and headed for the East wing's arena. A huge space where Students simply did nothing.
                          "You guys!" She yelled as soon as she spotted Betty and Vicky amidst the sea of students.
                          "Whoa! Do small. We can't have you breaking to pieces."  Vicky smirked.
                          "I have good news." She grinned ignoring the jab.
                           "You found Demi's diary?!" Betty squealed.
                            "Ah... No."
                          She scoffed. "What could be better news than that?"
                          Tokunbo rolled her eyes. "Oh, I don't know. How about your brother no longer being wanted by the police?"
                          Betty's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.  "Stop joking Tokunbo."
                          "I am not! My dad spent all night rounding the culprits. He said so this morning."
                          "Holy Lord! That's great!" Vicky screeched.
                         "Let's call him." Betty jumped excitedly, whipping out her phone. "When he picks the call, let's scream 'FREEDOM!'".
                       Vicky's face morphed into an annoyed expression while Tokunbo smiled so wide her cheeks hurt.
                       "One... Two... Three-"
                        "FREEDOM!" She and Betty chorused.
                         A wild laugh echoed through the receiver making the hairs on Tokunbo's neck stand on end.
                        "Demi." All three girls murmured bitterly.
                        "You didn't think I would let my only chance of winning go, did you?"
                         "Wh... Where's Eli? Why are you with his phone?!" Betty's body quivered with each word that fell from her lips. Tokunbo snatched the phone from her before it fell to the ground.
                          "I don't know how you all managed to turn the Skylars against me. Impressive. But I have loyal people and they will not fail."
                           "Where. Is. Elijah?" She asked in the calmest voice she could muster.
                           "Where else sweet Tokunbo? With me of course. Here's a message for Victoria. Let's end this game, honey. Meet me at the warehouse in an hour or pick the remains of your dear Elijah." And with a click, the call was disconnected.
                         "Oh, God," Betty whispered, her face blanched. "She won't stop will she?"
                       Tokunbo shook her head silently. "She won't."
                          Except we get rid of her. Permanently.
***
           Vicky.
                         "She won't do it. She's just bluffing." Tokunbo murmured.
                         She shook her head. Deep down, they all knew Demi could do it. "She can do anything."
                          Tokunbo scoffed "She's a sixteen-year-old with a lot of issues. She may push and prank but killing seems far-fetched really."
                         So innocent.
                         Vicky couldn't resist the angry growl that bubbled up her throat. "You don't know her as I do. She's crazy Tokunbo!"
                         I can't let Eli die!
                       Cold silence washed over the three of them. The school bell rang announcing the start of classes for the day. Students rushed past them in blurry hazes. Her heart's tempo slowly increased. She could picture Eli, all beat up and left to die on the warehouse floor.
                     ...We get that your existence is a burden to the world...
         
                    ...Shut your brother up Bets, or I will... Hopefully, he disappears this time...
                         She hadn't meant any of those things she'd said. Eli could be a jerk but he had been there for three years. He had forgiven her for making his life miserable. He was her friend.  Her chest suddenly became too small for her heart. It thumped too widely, too loudly.
                         "We need to stop her." Tokunbo declared clenching her fist.
                         "No. I need to stop her."
                         "Vicky-"
                          "This is my fight Tokunbo." She sniffed. " I'm not dragging anyone else into this.  I have been selfish in the past years. Jeopardizing my friends for reasons they do not understand. Look where that led me! A freaking death sentence for Elijah. I can't let that happen! It's me she wants."
                         "So you're going to get yourself killed instead."
                       She roared with frustration. "What do you want me to do? I'm stuck Tokun. I can't let Eli die. Just like that. I can't find a way around it. I can't do anything except what she says!"
                        "Yes, you can!" The slim girl persisted and Vicky ground her teeth in irritation. "Demi's just a teenager Vicky. And you too. This isn't something we can handle ourselves. It's become far too big for us."
                       "There is no US! This is my problem. I'll fix it my way."  She turned around to leave but paused mid-step.
                       "We need to tell someone. If we could just tell my Dad, he'll help us. I know it."
                         She smiled sadly facing Tokunbo. The latter's brown eyes were so full of Hope. Trust. And for a while, Vicky wanted to do nothing but hope as well. But she knew first-hand how futile hope was. She needed to take matters by the rein.
                        "And you think your dad will just believe us without proof?" She demanded, searching those coppery depths for anything to hold on to. "You think the police won't just write this off as kid's prattle and shove us aside?"
                           "My dad will understand." Tokunbo defended weakly.
                          She shook her head sadly. "Your dad isn't the whole police force Tokun. I need to get to the warehouse. Eli doesn't have much time. I don't have much time. Whatever happens, happens." 
                         And drawing in a deep deep breath, she turned around and walked away.
                         Whatever happens, happens.