THE FOOTBALL PITCH – 6:00 AM
The grass was wet. The air was cold. The team was quiet.
Aaron stood at the center circle, watching his players stretch, jog, warm up. Femi was back after a week away; his mother had died the day before the funeral yesterday. He hadn't spoken a word since he returned.
Coach Okafor blew his whistle. "Circle up."
The team gathered.
"We have one week until the national qualifiers. One week to decide if we're going to show up or show out."
No one spoke.
Femi stared at the ground.
Aaron stepped forward. "Femi."
Femi looked up.
"I'm not going to ask if you're okay. You're not okay. You're never going to be okay. But I need to know if you can play."
Femi's jaw tightened. "I can play."
"Can you play with us? Not for yourself. For the team."
Femi looked around at his teammates. Their faces. Their eyes. They were waiting.
"I can play," he said again. Softer this time.
Aaron put a hand on his shoulder. "Then let's play."
They ran drills until their legs gave out.
---
THE LECTURE HALL – 10:00 AM
Dr. Adeola was pacing.
"The Watchmen have expanded," she said. "They're no longer just a task force. They're a movement. Students reporting students. Friends reporting friends."
Nelly sat in the front row. Her hands were cold.
"The question," Dr. Adeola continued, "is not whether the list is fair. The question is what you do when your name appears on it."
She looked directly at Nelly.
"Do you run? Do you fight? Do you lie?"
Nelly didn't blink.
Dr. Adeola moved on.
---
THE BASKETBALL COURT – 2:00 PM
Oliver dribbled down the court. A defender stepped up. He drove past him, laid it up, scored.
The whistle blew.
"Good," Coach Ogun said. "Again."
They ran the drill again. And again. Oliver's lungs burned. His legs screamed. He kept going.
After practice, he sat on the bench, alone. Peculiar appeared with a bottle of water.
"You're getting better," she said.
"I'm getting tired."
"That's the same thing."
"It's not."
She sat beside him. "How's Nelly?"
"I don't know. We don't talk anymore."
"That's probably for the best."
"Probably."
She looked at him. "Do you miss her?"
He was quiet for a long time. "I miss who she was before I broke her."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one I have."
She took his hand. He let her.
---
THE GIRLS' DORM – 4:00 PM
Vicky was on her bed, scrolling through her phone.
Zuru was painting her nails. Zizi was reading. Ese was in the corner, her book open.
"My name is still on the list," Vicky said.
Zuru looked up. "What list?"
"The Watchmen's list. Someone reported me."
"For what?"
"I don't know. That's the problem."
Zizi closed her book. "Have you talked to Rose?"
"No."
"Maybe you should."
Vicky put down her phone. "Rose is not my friend."
"Rose is not anyone's friend. But she knows things."
Vicky stood up. Grabbed her jacket.
"Where are you going?" Zuru asked.
"To find out who put my name on that list."
She walked out.
The door slammed.
Ese turned a page.
---
THE ABANDONED STUDIO – 5:00 PM
Rose was waiting.
Vicky walked in. The room was dark. Dust floated in the air.
"You came," Rose said.
"Someone put my name on the list. I want to know who."
Rose smiled. "That's not how this works."
"How does it work?"
"You give me something. I give you something. That's how it works."
Vicky stepped closer. "What do you want?"
Rose tilted her head. "I want you to stay away from Mandy."
"Mandy?"
"She's useful to me. You're not. If you keep picking fights with her, you become a liability."
"She's a cunt."
"Maybe. But she's my cunt."
Vicky stared at her. "You're protecting her?"
"I'm protecting my garden."
Vicky's jaw tightened. "Who put my name on the list?"
Rose walked to the wall. Ran her fingers over the names written there.
"Someone you know," she said. "Someone who wants to hurt you."
"Who?"
Rose turned around. "That's all I'm giving you for free. If you want more, you'll have to earn it."
"How?"
"Come to the next meeting. Prove you're not a liability."
Rose walked out.
Vicky stood alone in the dark.
---
THE DORM – 8:00 PM
Aaron sat on his bed, staring at the wall.
Charlie was on the phone with Josephine. Wesley was reading. Oliver wasn't back yet.
"You're quiet," Charlie said, hanging up.
"I'm thinking."
"About?"
"The game. Femi. Everything."
Charlie sat on his bed. "You're carrying too much."
"I'm the captain. That's my job."
"Your job is to lead. Not to carry."
"Same thing."
"It's not."
Aaron looked at him. "When did you get smart?"
"I've always been smart. I just hide it well."
Aaron almost smiled.
His phone buzzed.
Unknown number (8:05 PM): Vicky is in danger. The list is just the beginning.
He stared at the screen.
Aaron (8:06 PM): Who is this?
Unknown (8:06 PM): Someone who sees everything.
Aaron (8:07 PM): What kind of danger?
Unknown (8:07 PM): The kind you can't fix.
The messages stopped.
Aaron called the number. Dead.
He looked around the room. Charlie. Wesley. Oliver's empty bed.
Someone knows, he thought. Someone is close.
---
THE PARKING LOT – 10:00 PM
Oliver sat on the hood of his car.
Peculiar was beside him.
"The competition is in two weeks," she said.
"I know."
"Are you ready?"
"I don't know."
She looked at him. "You've been clean for months."
"I know."
"You're playing better than ever."
"I know."
"Then what's wrong?"
He stared at the sky. "I'm scared."
"Of what?"
"Of losing. Of letting everyone down. Of realizing that even when I do everything right, it's not enough."
She took his hand.
"Then lose," she said. "Let everyone down. Realize it's not enough. And then keep going."
"That's not comforting."
"It's not supposed to be. It's just real."
He squeezed her hand.
They watched the stars.
---
THE GIRLS' DORM – 11:00 PM
Vicky walked in.
Zuru was asleep. Zizi was reading. Ese was in the corner, her book open.
"Did you find out?" Zizi asked.
"No."
"Then what did you find?"
Vicky sat on her bed. "I found out that Rose is protecting Mandy. And that someone wants to hurt me."
"Who?"
"I don't know."
Ese turned a page.
Vicky looked at her. "You're always reading."
"I'm always learning."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one I have."
Vicky lay back on her bed.
The ceiling was white. Boring. Empty.
She closed her eyes.