By Monday morning, word had spread.
Not about the burned dormitory. Not about Kunle. But about Chisom.
Whispers followed her down the hallways. People stared longer. Some looked worried. Others… suspicious.
She opened her locker and found an envelope — plain, sealed, with her name typed in bold block letters.
She hesitated, then tore it open.
Inside: a printed photo of her in the burned dormitory.
Underneath it, a single line:
“You’re smarter than this. Walk away — or we’ll make it official.”
Attached was a second paper. A mock-up of a school letterhead.
Subject: Scholarship Withdrawal – Pending Review.
Reason: Code of Conduct Violation.
Her blood ran cold.
📧 The Email
When she reached her dorm, a new email was waiting in her inbox:
From: UnknownSender97@protonmail.com
Subject: TRUTH OR THREAT
You were warned. Your actions are now under review. Stop digging, or your academic future ends here.
There is no Project Ascendancy. Let it go.
No signature. No traceable IP.
But the threat was real.
Chisom shut her laptop, pulse racing. She could survive anything — detention, punishment, even fear. But losing her scholarship? That would send her home. No degree. No escape. Her parents couldn’t afford the fees without it.
📂 Dapo’s Silence
She tried calling Dapo.
No answer.
She texted:
“Did you get a threat too?”
No reply.
By evening, his bed was untouched. No one had seen him all day. His friends said he went home for “family reasons.” But something felt off. Too sudden. Too convenient.
She returned to the files from the flash drive. Kunle’s notebook had something circled:
“Old Chapel – stone floor – hollow tile – locked trapdoor?”
She had to find it. But if they were watching, she couldn’t go alone. Not this time.
🤝 An Unexpected Ally
That night, as lights-out approached, there was a knock at her dorm door.
She opened it slowly.
It was Ada — the quiet girl from her Literature class. Always alone. Always listening.
“I heard about your scholarship,” Ada said. “And about the photo.”
Chisom’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know?”
Ada glanced around, then stepped inside.
“I got one too,” she whispered. “Last term. I saw something in the old staff records room. Two weeks later, my records were almost deleted. My guardians got a call saying I might not graduate.”
“What did you see?”
“A list of students… and notes beside them. Words like ‘candidate failed’ or ‘test incomplete’. One name had a red triangle. Kunle.”
Chisom nodded. “They’re still watching. They know we’re close.”
Ada looked at her.
“Then let’s finish this. Together.”
🕯 A Plan Begins
They made a pact — no more hiding, no more silence.
If Project Ascendancy was real, and if the school was erasing students like Kunle, it had to be exposed. But they had to be smart. Careful.
Step one: reach the chapel.
Step two: find the trapdoor Kunle mentioned.
And step three? Reveal everything. Even if it meant risking everything.
Chisom wrote in her journal that night:
“Truth or threat — I choose truth. Even if it costs me everything.”
But she couldn’t shake one final thought as she drifted to sleep:
What if Dapo was already gone?
📌 To Be Continued…
Next Episode: Episode 8: Parents’ Weekend
During visitation, Chisom tries to tell her mother what’s going on — but finds herself being watched. Someone plants something in her bag, leading to false accusations.
📩 Stay updated with The Hidden Files
New episodes drop every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at alphayem.com.ng – subscribe and never miss a chapter.
🗂 Read Episode 6: The Burned Dormitory»
📂 Coming soon: Episode 8: Parent’s Weekend»
🕵️♀️ The deeper they go, the more dangerous the truth becomes.
