Chapter One
"Oh He touched me, He touched me
And all the joy that fills my sou'..."
A song was being momentously sang and ululated with great euphoria before it came to an end recklessly. Judging from the impression and reaction they portrayed, the Form IV lads showed their zeal for it to be sang again as they were singing it in low hoarse and rough voices anticipating the leader to continue with the song. Just because of the melodious voice the girl possessed. One could’ve said they were pie-eyed as they began to insult the leader. Momentarily, they lost their cool and the song was paused;
"Carry on with it! You daughter of a mermaid!" Yelled one student at the back of the Form IV queue, causing the commotion and chaos that was altering into a complete silence, silence that you could hear your own heartbeat. Well, the noise was low such that you could hear butterflies buzzing near and after a few minutes it was completely shuttered as the pedagogues expressed their wrath and they seemed like they wanted to skin the culprit alive;
"Who is the dullard you folks?", asked one teacher, Mr Froggy angrily.
A great silence in the assembly square continued as the students were all acting all innocent, not even one was acting timid, weird and guilty or showing his/her face mendacious as everyone was staring Mr Froggy in the eye. It was not easy to spot the culprit just by looking at the students. Noting how difficult it was spotting the culprit by looking at them. He threatened furiously.
"IF…IF…I...", he paused as if he had forgotten what to say, "I...Find myself the culprit he/she will rue the day he was born", he spoke as if there was a lump in his throat. He then hurriedly decided to skim his two creamy white eyes endeavoring to spot someone looking guilty.
Fortunately he managed to spot someone but someone who he falsely accused; a young boy believed to be introverted. He looked different since his head possessed a scary big scar and what made it so obvious is that his head was without hair due to have done a haircut not so long. He was scraggy yet having circular cheeks. If you could judge him by the cover of his book you could have obtained a wrong identity judging from his character of humour, he was munificent and godly hearted lad .The boy was wearing the basic uniform ; a royal blue shirt, which looked like it has lost it's colour but still good adequate to play its course throughout the year along with its companion; a grey trouser which seemed to be white due to have lost it's originality. In other words it was dilapidated because each an everyone of the students could almost see through the cloth he began with under. Sometimes his fellow classmates would make jests about it and it's owner. Clement never paid his attention to them because he knew that there was nothing he could do to change his situation at the time. Especially with his big brother being arrested. That meant he had no financial support. He led a painful life alone, he would do piece jobs just to get food on the table for himself. Sometimes his Aunt contributed some money for food, that really helped him a lot. Apart from everything hellish going on, in his life. One thing he was firm about was his future, he wanted to live great, live his life on its fullest potential no matter what. Being the last born of three never made him think education was a waste of time. As his brothers thought, in fact it made know what was important in life. Alcohol, rushed love relationships, bad company and many other unnecessarily issues he made sure keep his distance from them, having learnt from his brothers. His eldest brother was derailed by alcohol and bad company of friends that turned him into criminal. As for his elder brother he rushed into love relationships and that yielded him a live baby. He ended up with no choice but to drop out of school. It all occurred after they have lost their parents, the previous year. Clement was the only one who was still in school in his family. He seemed to be the future of Mackean family, the only person who stood a chance at becoming a graduate only if he would take his work fervently. Also a soon-to-be-senior of Cockrow High School.
Cockrow High being a government owned school, it was under the leadership of a dame or a female person. She was a light skinned, good-looking woman in her forties, having a sociable, popularly image as well. The good-looking woman happened to be late on the fateful day. She came in late which was not really her style. She normally came in punctual. Upon her arrival, she was amazed on what reason the students were still kept at the assembly square. It was already late on its own. She noted that a serious matter was at hand as she drove for the gate with her very own fancy car. The school's security guard reached for the gate to open it before the principal hooted her car. He pushed the gate continuously, slowly, as if his hands were itching. Mrs Glooby, the principal drove her car to park it nearer to that of Mr Froggy's car that was parked under a tree closely to the Administration Blog and Assembly square that was right in front of the building. As Mrs Glooby parked her car. She was appalled to hear Mr Froggy hollering abruptly.
‘’What is your name, you little idiot?" enquired Mr Froggy in a repugnant manner.
Having heard that, hounds of questions surrounded Mrs Glooby. She could not understand what was happening but she was keen to know. The questions that kept running in her mind did not only worry her but also frightened her. She was the principal she deserved to know no matter what, should anything horrible happen to the boy Mr Froggy have been shouting, she was going to be implicated too. She had to ask the teachers who stood by the tree to expound the innumerable questions of hers. She strutted to the corridor of assembly square majestically looking grave but smiling educatedly, chuckling too a little. Mr Froggy never laid his interrogation to rest because of the presence of the principal. But he continued with it.
‘’I asked you a question you, dullard ‘’, stated Mr Froggy angrily hurling insults at the boy
Clement's circular cheeks were being washed by a stream of tears. And also at the time fear was playing its tricks on him. The boy felt cold inside. He was in serious agony of being falsely accused and being a scapegoat in front of everyone; his peers and teachers in such a way that he was tongue tied in a way that words were failing him. His situation made him unable even to stutter because of the agony that was excruciating within him. Which was sharp and narrow as a nurse's prick to his patient. Noting the suffering and sympathizing with the boy, Ms Lauren his class teacher spoke on behalf of him assisting Mr Froggy with the name.
‘’Clement Mackean, teacher he is", she spoke politely with eyes pointing at him.
" Mmmm...", he smiled, " Wonders never cease, do they, Colleague? "
Mr Froggy then glared the pedagogue calling the name of the lad and pulled his collar which was peculiar of him and asked in a manner;
" Are you really a Mackean?' He smiled again. "Or are my ears playing tricks on me?", he continued smiling as if he won a golden award, he really proved to be satisfied with the name.
The boy retorted so serene and answered with great respect.
‘’Yes, I am’’, retorted the boy.
With a raucous voice
‘’Really!" Exclaimed Mr Froggy with amazement, surely something was cooking in his mind, but secretively he would not show it and make it obvious. After this confab, Mr froggy looked grave, that gave a suspicious impression to everyone as he acted rejoiced within the past few minutes and presently his face was full of wrinkles as if he had been angered.
Apparently it was the vendetta he held ever since the previous year over the Mackean surname and its people. His mind had always been longing for revenge. Gratefully, he would not hesitate to do what he thought and longed to do over the past months. The grudge and the vendetta reminded him of what occurred that day and that explained his sudden vice-versa reaction he portrayed. They battered him into a pulp at the bar and made him a laughing stock in front of everyone at that moment. Mr Froggy looked startled having recalled the situation he faced. But then a meaningless mirth seasoned his face rearranging his face for the better, not to mention that his teeth was what he got impressive from the Almighty, they shimmered like a shining star. As soon as he stopped smiling, everyone, both teachers and students were amazed and stunned at what was fun enough to get a whole man smiling like a teenager that has fallen in love not so long. The altercation and situation was delaying classes and lessons for the day. But that never seemed to matter to the teachers and the students. And as for the students, they just enjoyed the free action period granted to them. Only a few of them were seriously concerned with their academic work being delayed. Even if they were to be counted, they weren't going to make five percent of the school's register. He continued getting more quieter as if lost for words to say. He hurriedly faced upright, his eyes in level with the students who looked at him with rage, he then turned them away due to shyness, suddenly stared at the principal hastily who stood not too far him. He seemed as if he wanted to say something disturbing. To their amazement without saying a word as they had all expected, he moved them from the principal back to the students wickedly and disturbingly with the eyes appearing to be sunken deep by the skull proving to be antagonized somehow. The words were fighting him to say them, no matter what. He then swallowed hard as if to face a giant by himself. His actions got everybody bewildered. Their minds drowned in innumerable questions; What did he want to say? let alone his sudden hot-temper. What was the mystery behind it? Was he going to reveal what the Mackean people did to him and ask the boy to be expelled for what he had done?
