Entwined by Destiny

Chapter Seven

     After the first semester exams were over, the university closed down for a break.Shortly after, Fateema began her Industrial Training at National Research Institute for Chemical Technology  (NARICT) which is located a few kilometers away from her family house.
    
She met some of her coursemates who like her, also opted to have their training in the institute but apart from greetings, it's only when it becomes absolutely necessary that she interacts with them. Much to her preference, no group activities were allowed; each and every intern had to work on his/her own.
     
Inspection commenced on their ninth day of starting the training. Who presented himself as their invigilator if not her all-time favourite lecturer (note the sarcasm)----Dr Ezeawata!.Not just Fateema, all her colleagues were beyond themselves with frustration over their bad luck of being the ones Dr Iza-a-wuta was assigned to.But what can they do if not accept their fate and tolerate his drilling?.
     
And drill them he definitely did!.Unlike most other invigilators who just inspect punctuality and involvement of their designated students in their respective activities, Dr Ezeawata bombards his own set of students with questions upon questions upon more questions!Not just oral questions, he also makes them demonstrate every new thing they've learnt.He coerces them to explain in explicit details each and every step of any single knowledge they've acquired. 
      
The worst part of it all is that instead of visiting them on weekly or fortnightly basis just like all the other invigilators do to their students, Dr Ezeawata visits them every blessed working day, much to their chagrin. With time, he pushed the poor students to the core.His 'fire' became red hot and too unbearable and so they started 'melting'.Some gave up and admitted his questions are beyond their abilities; some kept fidgeting, sweating and scratching their heads before saying anything that comes to their minds while one poor young lady outrightly burst into tears. In short, all his assigned students have reached the zenith of their tolerance with the exception of one.
    
Fateema Naseer felt the intensity of the blazing red-hot fire their notorious lecturer-cum-invigilator had casted them into but she as a true biologist has devised means of adapting to the situation. Abi they taught them that living things develop special adaptation mechanisms in order to survive when they find themselves in a different habitat? Well, she's gonna apply that by building protective shields all over herself such that no matter how deep he 'iza'(push) her into the fire, she wouldn't get burnt.
    
Oh yes his drilling questions and thoroughness has pushed her to the wall but she would rather die than give him the satisfaction of knowing that. Something at the back of her mind tells her he's doing all that he's doing on purpose----to get back at her for defying him.It hasn't escaped her notice that amongst them all, he drills and bombards her with the most questions. And whenever she's to perform an experiment, he makes her repeat it at least twice while everyone else does it only once. Not only that, he makes sure her questions are the toughest.

When she made these observations, she made a pledge to herself that she will never let him see her downfall. She closed each and every loophole that he can use against her----she's the first to arrive and the last to leave everyday, she never even bats an eyelash whenever he's questioning her talkless of showing her irritation or tiredness and if it's a practical work, she carries it out meticulously to the very best of her ability. The best part is that God has blessed her with brains, she's highly intelligent and easily grasps everything she's taught so whenever he drills her with his never-ending questions, she confidently answers him and even goes extra miles in explanations with vivid illustrations.
      
Her colleagues knew she was intelligent but never had they imagined she was this intelligent. At the university, since they were too many in class there was no one-on-one interaction with the 'Ice-ninja' but now being just five of them in one place, they got to know her better.

Whenever Dr Ezeawata and Fateema are engrossed in their questions and answers' (Q&A) session, her colleagues forget themselves staring in awe at the two. The lecturer and his student always seem faraway in their own private world of 'gurus'---he intelligently questioning her and she excellently answering calmly, confidently without any iota of doubt.
    
Indeed not just the students, every onlooker who witnesses the duo having their Q & A session, would be astonished. Their interaction is definitely an amazing, fascinating and awe-inspiring view indeed!