Chapter 2 The offer
Adesuwa woke before the bell rang.
It wasn't the sound that pulled her from sleep—it was the feeling. That sharp, crawling awareness that something had already gone wrong.
The dormitory lay in half-darkness, blurring faces and softening edges. Twenty metal-framed beds lined the room. Mosquito nets hung like pale ghosts, swaying gently in the early breeze. Somewhere, a girl whispered in her sleep. Another turned, beads clinking softly.
Adesuwa lay still, staring at the cracked ceiling. Her heart raced. She pressed a hand to her chest, counting silently like she had learned since arriving.
One. Two. Three.
Nothing yet.
The bell rang.
The metallic clang tore through the room. Dreams snapped in half. Groans, mutters, the rustle of sheets. Someone cursed. Someone laughed.
Across the aisle, Efe was already awake.
That alone made Adesuwa uneasy. Efe never rose before the bell. She slept through thunder, stretched slowly, unbothered by matrons' shouts. But now she sat upright, back straight, eyes fixed on the far wall.
"Efe," Adesuwa whispered.
No response.
The girls began the morning routine—buckets, towels, quiet efficiency. Antiseptic drifted from the bathrooms. Matrons' footsteps echoed faintly.
Adesuwa swung her legs off the bed. "Efe," she said again, softer. "You okay?"
Efe's eyes flicked toward her. For a second, just a second, fear slipped through the cracks of her calm expression.
"I'm fine," she said too quickly.
"You don't look fine," Adesuwa murmured.
Efe glanced around, checking for listeners. She leaned closer.
"They called me last night."
"Who?"
"Madam Grace."
Adesuwa froze. Madam Grace never called interns at night.
The woman's smiling face adorned brochures and banners. Donors shook her hand. She reminded girls constantly how lucky they were. Luck, Adesuwa had learned, was adult code for "stop asking questions."
"What did she want?"
Efe hesitated. "A… special opportunity."
The word hung in the air unpleasantly.
Before Adesuwa could press further, a matron shouted: "All of you! Five minutes to inspection!"
The girls scattered.
Efe stood, smoothing her uniform. "We'll talk later."
Adesuwa nodded, unease coiling tighter in her chest.
---
Inspection passed without incident. Breakfast was thin pap and bread, eaten in silence under watchful eyes. By the time the girls filed out for training, the sun cast long shadows across the courtyard.
Mid-lacework class, her name was called.
"Adesuwa Osaro."
She looked up. A junior staff member stood at the door. "You're needed at the admin office."
All eyes followed her as she walked out. Her fingers tightened around the needle before she set it down.
The admin corridor smelled of polish and perfume. Portraits of donors lined the walls, their smiles frozen and impersonal. At the far end, Madam Grace's office waited.
"Come in, my dear," Madam Grace said.
She sat behind a wide mahogany desk, cream silk hugging her elegance. Hair neat, makeup flawless—every detail whispered control.
"Sit," she gestured.
Adesuwa obeyed.
"I've been watching you," Madam Grace began pleasantly. "Your work is exceptional. Your discipline, admirable."
Adesuwa nodded, unsure.
"We don't get many girls like you," she continued. "Girls who understand sacrifice."
A pause.
"I hear you're an only child."
"Yes, ma," Adesuwa said stiffly.
"And your mother?"
"She's sick," she added carefully.
Madam Grace's smile widened. "That must be very hard."
Her palms dampened.
"I won't waste your time," Madam Grace said. "We're expanding our program. A select few interns will travel abroad for advanced training."
Abroad.
The word rippled through Adesuwa's mind.
"Cameroon," Madam Grace added casually. "Six months. All expenses covered."
Travel—a dream whispered in dorm rooms. A promise.
"Why me?"
Madam Grace leaned forward. "Because you deserve it."
She slid a file across the desk. Inside, glossy photographs of elegant women in bridal lace smiled beneath chandeliers. Caption: International Bridal Internship Program.
"It's a chance to learn, to grow," Madam Grace said softly. "To come back transformed."
Adesuwa studied the photos. Something felt wrong.
"Who else is going?" she asked.
Madam Grace's smile widened. "You'll find out soon."
---
That night, Efe found her behind the laundry shed.
The moon hung low, silvering concrete walls. Cicadas buzzed loudly, filling the silence.
"They called you too, didn't they?" Efe asked.
Adesuwa nodded. "Cameroon."
Efe exhaled shakily. "I knew it."
"You knew what?"
From her pocket, Efe pulled an old Nokia. Scratched screen, worn buttons.
"Keep this," she pressed it into Adesuwa's palm.
"What?"
"Hide it. Don't register it. Don't tell anyone."
Adesuwa stared. "Efe… what's going on?"
"This place isn't what it says it is," Efe whispered.
Adesuwa's breath caught.
"Once you leave," Efe continued, "they control everything. Your phone. Your movement. Your name."
Adesuwa shook her head. "You're scaring me."
"Good," Efe said grimly. "Fear might keep you alive."
Footsteps echoed nearby.
Efe stepped back, neutral again. "Promise me something."
"What?"
"If anything feels wrong… run."
Before Adesuwa could respond, Efe vanished into the shadows.
Adesuwa stood alone, clutching the phone. The weight of the offer pressed down on her.
In the distance, the bell rang for lights out.
Above the Institute, the moon watched silently. And somewhere beyond its walls, a journey had already begun.
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