The Waiting Game

chapter three

“O, how the tables turn.” It was Amina who muttered the words, her voice thick with bitterness and drawled with a hint of amusement. “I think Orion has hit its lowest low yet, Joshua.”

Joshua wished that she would stop being so theatrical but a part of him had to acknowledge her concerns. The Orion Project thrived on its image more than most things, their power partly lied in looking good and making everyone knew that they looked good – the consequences be damned. It had been that way in the past but it could no longer be so, not if Orion wanted to continue operating on campus.

“Get used to it, Khalid, it only goes down from here,” He told her flatly. Amina gave a shake of her head, swinging her legs back and front from the desk she had hoisted herself on minutes ago when she’d entered the office.

The office in question wasn’t his; Joshua was a student as far as the Lagos State University was concerned. He couldn’t exactly build one little office for himself on campus. As usual, he found himself in Dr. Ireti’s office. Or rather, former office, the man had been promoted to head of department, he had a new, bigger office at his department building – leaving the old one unoccupied, mostly for Joshua’s sake.

Amina pushed herself off the desk and stalked to where he was behind the desk, locking the drawers before he left.
He rose to his full height – which wasn’t much, because he was barely 5’8. Amina stared him down unflinchingly and he sighed internally, he was going to have to work on his glowers. Usually, they sent Amina backing off a bit but these days, she just stared back.

Joshua frowned at the observation.

“I don’t know if you know this but I’ll still tell you: Orion thrives on image, we’ve always been known to be flashy, better than the wannabes. In the span of months, we’ve gone into hiding, and now you tell me that we can’t use the Moot Court for our meetings anymore. What will people think?”

Joshua broke his gaze with her and glanced at the stapled papers in his hands. “I don’t care.”

“I think it’s high time that somebody remembers that Orion isn’t some frivolous cult. The last of our concerns is where our bimonthly meetings hold on campus. Now, if we were booted out of the dome, I would be concerned.” He explained. “People should rest.”

“And better yet, if they want flash, I hear The Medusa Society is recruiting,” He added. He bet Popola would like that; he was in some imagined competition with Joshua.

Amina looked like she was fighting a grin and realization dawned on Joshua, she’d merely been testing him, trying to see where his concerns lay. He knew that she was right, Orion members on campus were probably throwing fits over having to give up the moot  court but Amina had never really cared about things like that. Joshua cursed himself for even falling for the act.

“Don’t do that again,” Joshua told her when they stepped out of the office. He turned to lock the door with a slow click. It was past seven in the evening and although most of the lecturers that occupied offices in the building had gone home – still, Joshua didn’t want to be seen.

“Do what?” Amina was smirking.

“Test me.” He answered curtly, brushing past her to the end of the corridor to take the stairs.

“Someone has to make sure your head is where it should be.”

“Like catching a murderer?” Joshua asked. Like she wanted him to do, heck, like most of Orion wanted him to do.

“Like that,” Amina acknowledged. He quickened his steps, he wasn’t surprised to see Amina zip past him; sitting on the arm of the stairway like it was a slide. He heard the thud of her feet down and sighed.