A Killer In Uniform

Chapter Three – Shadows of My Twin

I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling fan turning lazily above me. Sleep wouldn’t come. The whispers from class still echoed in my head, but louder than all of them was Helena’s voice, the way she used to laugh, the way she would call me Elsie when she wanted something.

I closed my eyes, and the memories came rushing back.

We were fourteen, sitting under the orangeqq tree in front of our house, preparing for Junior WAEC. Helena had her legs stretched out, a pen tucked behind her ear, and that mischievous grin plastered across her face.

“Elsie, you think you’re smarter than me, abi? Let’s bet, if I score higher in Maths, you’ll wash plates for a week.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’ll fail, Helena. Your calculator is even more confused than you.”

She laughed, her cheeks were flushed and red from the sun. She always laughed louder than necessary, as if daring the world to notice her.

"Are you doubting me?!" She paused thinking"Or maybe you're just scared you'll lose?"

I resisted the urge to hiss "Just get ready to wash those dishes cause I'm not losing "

"Keep on dreaming Elsie" she chuckled.

I opened my eyes, but the room was too quiet. Too empty. The silence suffocated me.

Another memory came uninvited.

Just two months ago, during prep in school, we had shared a desk in the library. Helena had leaned close, whispering while pretending to write notes.

“I have something to tell you, Elsie,” she had said, her eyes wandering.

“What is it?” I whispered back.

“Later. Not here.” she said looking around as if hiding from someone.

But later never came.

I sat up, heart thudding. That moment had replayed in my mind a hundred times since her death, but now it felt different.

Who had she been planning to talk to me about? And why did she change her mind?

“Elsa!” My mum’s voice called faintly from downstairs, pulling me back to the present.

“Yes ma!”

"Aren't you going to school again?! Come and have your breakfast "

I looked at my window; the sun shone brightly.

It was already morning.

I was awake all through the night thinking.

I lay back down slowly, staring at the empty bed across the room.

Everyone else believed Helena had killed herself. But I knew my twin. She had too much fire, too many plans, too many secrets she wasn’t done sharing.

And if I wanted answers, I would have to dig into those secrets, even if it meant uncovering things I wasn’t ready to face.

But for now I had to go to get off my bed and get ready for another day in that hell-hole known as school.