Chapter 9

Upon hearing the signal, I tucked my head into the black suffocating and smelly balaclava. I grimaced at the musty odour which wafted up my nostrils every now and then, the smell was unbearable. Moving quickly, I shoved my short ebony black hair messily into the cap mounted on the top of my head and got ready to prounce out of the taxi. “Party,” I explained in a muffled tone seeing the driver’s perplexed and bewildered expressions. Strangely dressed kids always brought about many queries. Hearing that, the driver’s face brightened into a knowing smile and doubts stopped flowing through his head.
“How much is the trip?” Violet pressed as the driver glanced as the meter. “That would be five dollars and sixty cents,” he answered gesturing towards it. Violet stared at the large fifty dollar note in her lap and sighed, “Anyone here with small change?”I shook my head, all that was left in my pocket was a ten cent coin and I was pretty sure that wasn’t quite enough to foot the bill. Jian Ming shrugged his shoulders and shook the snoring Andrew violently, “Wake up, we have reached Yishun City Secondary! Come on and stop snoring!” Still unaware of his surroundings, Andrew calmly reached behind him and squeezed Jian Ming’s nose. Before any of us could react, we saw Jian Ming hammering Andrew with punches. Andrew muttered soberly, “Why isn’t the stop button on the alarm clock working.” Violet and I broke into fits of laughter as Jian Ming’s face turned crimson red, white mist could almost be seen streaming out of his ears. “Wake up you idiot!” he hollered while Andrew who was now semi conscious of his surroundings shrank back in shock. “I am awake,” Andrew scoffed peering at his surroundings and quickly pulling his balaclava over his head. “Er hem,” the taxi driver coughed, “will somebody pay the bill?” Jian Ming scorned at Andrew beckoning him to pay. After searching his pocket frantically, Andrew managed to pull out a pretty worn out ten dollar note, “Would this do?” The taxi driver nodded, although there was a smile on his face, the annoyed expression was still there. He accepted the note graciously and fumbled irritably for the change.
“You may keep the change,” Violet told the driver as she bolted out of the cab, I did the same. “Hey, that was my allowance for next week!” Andrew protested but Violet ignored him and wrenched him out from his seat. “Thanks for the ride,” she said before slamming the door. “How could you do that?” Andrew persisted. “I’ll get the professor to pay for the trip, ok?” Violet brushed off aggravated. That shut Andrew up at once. To resolve the tight tension among the group, I reminded them, “Remember guys, when we go in, high chance that Indian security guard will try to stop us,” I paused to gesture at the man in white uniform standing behind the gate from where I was hiding, “Me and Violet will try to distract him, Andrew, try to paralyze him with the paralyze gun we got from the Prof’s workshop. You know how to use it right Andrew?” “Upper, I attended the class you know?” he replied obnoxiously as always. “Ok, let’s put plan – catch the monitor into action,” I said, the words zipped out of my mouth without thinking. “It’s plan – catch the student counsellor, sotong!” the rest chimed in synchrony, correcting me. “Arrrgh! Whatever!” I answered a little flustered, why must everyone remind me that I am a blur queen?
We trudged into the school as the security guard stepped forward to stop us, “Sorry, no visitors at this time, I am afraid I can’t allow you to enter.” “But I need to pass something to my sister!” I reasoned, perhaps my story wasn’t so convincing because of the fact that I have a balaclava over my face. I didn’t want to wear it but Violet insisted that we did. “I am extremely apologetic but I can’t allow that. We security guards have been briefed very specifically not to allow visitors at such timings, the students are having lessons,” he explained. “Her sister really needs it, it’s for her next lesson,” Violet argued as well. “Sorry, but as I said, we aren’t taking visitors. Maybe you could leave the object to me and tell me what class your sister is in and what her name is,” the guard said apologetically. I had ran out of reasons to get us through the guard, we were going to need to use force. Talking of which, why hasn’t Andrew pulled the trigger yet?
“Eh Jian Ming, how do you use this dumbo huh, I press the trigger so many times but nothing happen leh,” Andrew requested innocently. “What on earth…”by the time the guard had realised that something was amiss, he was already out cold on the floor from the blow dished out by Jian Ming with the edge of the paralyze gun. “You then dumb, like this lah. Upper,” Jian Ming replied. “Then,” Violet finished. Jian Ming rolled his eyes. “Come on, we better hurry before our guard ‘awakens’ up from his slumber,” she reminded. “Why must we hurry?” I asked confused as usual. “Alamak! Why do I have to be grouped with so many sotongs?” Violet sighed. I gave a casual giggle looking at her sheepishly, “Because you’re the most levelled headed person?” “Arrrgh… I give in to all your idiotic antics. Let’s just carry on with the plan,” Violet fumed as I gave her a wide grin. “Only one question guys,” Andrew said. “What now?” Jian Ming scoffed turning his head around. “I thought the instruction menu said you were suppose to pull the trigger to launch the bullet?” Andrew mumbled baffled while the rest of us choked with disbelief.
“So where do you think the student counsellor board is?” Violet queried. “Beside the General Office?” I offered. “And where do you think the General office is?” Violet continued. “In the school, duh!” I replied and Violet was shooting me a murderous look. “I mean, WHICH direction do you think the general office is located at?” Violet repeated, her nostrils flaring like crazy. “We could ask the staff?” I blabbered hesitantly. Violet looked as if she was going to faint, “We are supposed to avoid them, not associate with them. They could call the police and we could be arrested!” “Oh,” I said timidly. “I know, we could split up to search for it, that way we will be able to find the board sooner,” Jian Ming suggested. “Hmm, sounds like a good idea,” Violet commented. “But the chances of us being spotted would be higher and we all know how klutz and blur Jennison is, she bangs into someone as often as she says what happened.” “Well, I came prepared,” Jian Ming replied dumping his duffle bag on the floor as a pile of clothes came sprawling all over the floor. “What’s all this? And whose bra is that?” Andrew beseeched astonished. “Are… are… you… a… SISSY?” he stuttered. “No lah! The bra’s part of my mum’s discarded jumble nitwit! They are to disguise us so we won’t be recognised nitwit!” Jian Ming practically hollered. “Ssshh, not so loud, we don’t want others to hear us,” Violet reminded.
“Ok,” Jian Ming said, then in a lower tone, “Jennison and Violet, get into these polo T-shirts and pants. Andrew, get changed into this.” “What? This mini skirt and blouse! I am not a sissy you know?” Andrew cried clearly horrified. “Well, you are so skinny you could easily be mistaken for a girl. Come on, for the sake of the mission,” Jian Ming persuaded. “But…” Andrew opened his mouth to protest but relented and took the bra with the blouse and mini-skirt reluctantly. “Now that’s a good girl,” I said to the grumbling Andrew. “Oh god, why me?” he moaned shaking his head as he made his way to the toilet while Violet and I lumbered there dizzy with laughter.
*****
I held on to my a-size-too-large beige Bermudas which had been generously donated by Jian Ming, I couldn’t help complaining. I looked horrendously obese in the oversized clothes. Violet had happily helped herself to the one and only belt leaving me only with my pair of hands to stop it from dropping. I scanned my surroundings hoping to spot my goal – the student counsellor’s board. Sadly, there was no such luck.
Out of the blue, I heard a yell from behind me, “Run, the police are here!” My heart pounded against my ribcage, the police? I stood paralyzed, rooted to the spot like a dumb block of wood. Cold swear streamed down my pallid face. What am I supposed to do? Run as told? “Freeze and raise your hands up in the air,” the voice of a stout police boomed in my ears. I took to my heels with my flip flops rubbing against the coarse floor. The wind caressed me as I scuttled with all my might. Drip, drip, drip, my sweat went. And then, with no idea how, be it either my anxiety or my sotongness, I fell, flat on my face. I could have gotten up, but I didn’t, I was too tired to carry on. With an air of despair, I willingly allowed the policeman to pin me down and handcuff me. Hot tears rolled down my cheeks, “How could this happen to me? I am still a kid,” I muttered as I was led into the police cruiser by two policemen.
Ahhhhhhhhhh! A glass shattering shrill pierced my eardrums all of a sudden as my vision blurred with each passing second. A question crossed my mind, what was happening to me?