INKWORLD

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

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June 27, 2091

The next day, we were woken very early in the morning. Someone went around banging on the doors. I still felt sleepy but when I remembered what we had to do, my eyes flashed wide open.

Wunmi, Dr. Sakshi and I went to the hovership to have our bath and eat. The guys agreed to go in after we had finished. The hovership had two rooms that could act as washrooms. We had decided to use that instead of taking our baths in the bathrooms that had been shown to us.

As we stepped into the hovership, I could see a few threads of ink flying around. Although we tried to be careful when entering, some of them had snuck in.

I took one of the washrooms while Dr. Sakshi took the other. I was having my bath when an ink like thread came to settle on my shoulder. I frantically rubbed it, trying to get it out but it just spread on my skin. My body shook as if I was having a seizure. I wanted to continue scrubbing at it until it was off but when I saw another inky thread coming into the shower room, I decided that putting on my protection suit was a better option.

Wunmi and Dr. Sakshi were scowling when I got out. It seemed Dr. Sakshi had finished earlier and Wunmi had taken her place to have her bath. I wondered if I had spent too much time or they were the ones that had washed up in record time. Dr. Sakshi was rubbing at her hand despite the protective suit over it. I could see through the suit that that part of her arm was red.

"We need to do what we have to do and get out quickly. Even though we have the cure here, I'm not ready to get infected," Wunmi said and Dr. Sakshi nodded in agreement.

I had a feeling they had experienced the same thing with me in the shower.

"Hopefully, this raid will go smoothly and we can return back to Inkwell," I said. I knew things didn't go so smoothly but I hoped this would be the exception.

After eating as quickly as we could, we left the hovership and met the guys coming in just then.

Ben, who had been waiting outside the hovership wanted to follow me back into the building but I waved him off to go and take care of himself.

"Don't worry, I know some karate movements," Dr. Sakshi said, displaying her fighting skills.

Her movement—which was caught somewhere between that of a true fighter and a headless chicken struggling—coupled with the look on Ben's face sent Wunmi and I into a fit of laughter.

"What? I'm just a bit rusty."

"It's okay, Ben," I said as my laughter died down. "I'll be fine."

"Okay ma'am." He turned to Dr. Sakshi. "I'll take you up on your offer." She smiled. "If you don't knock them out, at least I know your skills will frighten them away." He quickly walked into the hovership chuckling.

Sakshi glared at us, trying to get us to stop laughing but I couldn't stop the laughter bubbling up my throat and neither could Wunmi.

When we had managed to control our laughter, we went back to the building. Most people had gathered around Tobi as he went over his plans again, going deeper than his brief explanation the day before.

Dr. Sakshi was eager to raid the facility. She kept saying that the prisoners would probably need her professional expertise.

"What if some of them don't want to go with you willingly? Sometimes, some victims act like that. It might be because they fear that escaping will anger their captor. In a situation like that, you'll need someone to coax them out and I can help," she explained.

Tobi nodded. "Fine, but please be careful."

"I'll go with her so she doesn't get herself in trouble," Prof. Thomas said.

I raised my brow at that. Prof. Thomas didn't seem eager to go a while ago. I wondered if he genuinely wanted to protect Dr. Sakshi or he was just trying to find a way out of going with the other men to fight.

Dr. Sakshi scowled. "I don't need you to protect me, besides your face will probably scare the prisoners."

I rolled my eyes at their bickering. In some ways, it seemed cute and I wondered if that's what Wunmi said everyone saw when Tobi and I were bickering.

I picked up a weapon and was about to put it in the band of my jeans when I saw Wunmi looking at me with raised brows.

"What?" I asked.

"What do you think you are doing?"

I looked at her, puzzled. "Same thing you are doing. Getting ready to attack the facility."

"You aren't going, Ivy." I narrowed my eyes but she continued. "You can't go, it's too dangerous."

I felt a few people near us stop what they were doing and turn to look at us.

"We all know it is but we are still going," I said cautiously.

Wunmi sighed like I was being difficult. "Your case is different."

I scowled. Being President of Inkwell had a lot of perks but it also had its disadvantages. There were something I couldn't be caught doing. I wanted to help with the raid. It seemed sad to just sit back and wait for them, nervously twiddling my fingers as hours went by and imagining all sorts of things happening to them.

"Why? Why is her case different?" one of the men asked loudly beside us, drawing the attention of others. I felt like smacking him over the head but I had a feeling that would just draw more attention to myself.

"It's nothing. She's just been complaining of weakness and body pains,"Wunmi lied with a look on her face that made her look believable.

"Then she should stay," a pregnant woman said. I remembered Tobi had introduced her as Anu, the lady who hasn't gotten infected. "Some of us are staying back, you can stay with us."

Everyone turned back to what they were doing as if that settled it. I wanted to argue but a look from Wunmi silenced me.

"I want to go to," Marcus said, as if seeking my permission. He had already grabbed a knife.

Wunmi pulled it out of his hand. "It's not safe—"

"For a child?" Marcus asked, his face pulled into a frown. "I'm just a year away from being an adult. I can handle myself. Besides," he looked pointedly at the knife still stuck in the band of my jeans. "Miss. Ivy is going even though she's President of Inkwell. Isn't her safety important?"

It looked like Marcus had not heard the others decide I wasn't going. I was just about to tell him to lower his voice when someone stepped up to us. "Did he just say President of Inkwell?"

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Ghen ghen. Now they know she is president of Inkwell, how do you think they are going to react? Is Ivy going go be in danger?

Do you think Wunmi is right to stop Ivy from going with them?

What do you think of Prof. Thomas?

Do you think Sakshi's fighting skill can protect Ivy if they are attacked? 😂

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©Jesutofunmi Fekoya