So there the five of us were. I saw all of them as my friends because Adebayo was my friend and they were his friends. I remember what everyone ordered. All of them chose rice, plantain, and beef. I chose my favorite, rice and beans. They make them nice at the Cholera Joint. I paid for all the food. It was a lot of money for me, but I had it. You know me, if I have it, then I spend it and when I don’t have it, I don’t miss it. Plus, I was in a good mood. These guys wanted to help me fold smoothly into university life. I don’t know why I didn’t put two and two together at the time. I do not know. Maybe I was blinded by hope.

Anyway, by the time we finished, it was almost eight o’clock and getting dark. We walked down the street about a half mile. The area was mainly occupied by the other two-story satellite hostels, the occasional tree. It is not a busy street. As a matter of fact, the street was so empty that we only met a few people along the way and there were no cars. It was a warm night, so because I’d recently worked out and then eaten, I was sweating. Eventually, they stopped under a low shaded mango tree. By this time it was completely dark and under that tree, no one could see us. Still, I wasn’t scared. Adebayo was with me, and I just knew I could handle the other three if I needed to . . . if they turned out to not be so friendly.

One of them flicked on a torch and flashed it into the leaves above.

“Look, we’ve been watching you,” the tall one said. “We have something important to tell you.” At this point I glanced at Adebayo, and in the dim light that reflected from the flashlight, I saw him look away. “You’re a strong guy, physically. Smart, get good grades, you were near the top of your high school class, the ladies like you . . .” He paused. “And we hear your little sister is albeeno, maybe even one of those child witches you hear about.”

“What?” I exclaimed. “She’s not . . .”

“No, no, relax. It’s good. A child witch is power. We like what we see when we see you,” he said, holding a hand up for me to stop talking. “We want only your success. And you will have all the advantages in school if you join us.”

“Huh? How . . . Where? Be clear, I’m not understanding,” I stammered. My mouth suddenly felt dry. Sunny, it was only at this time that I realized what was really going on, and it was something I heard was very common, but I never imagined would happen to me.

“We are the Great Red Sharks,” he said.

Shit, shit, shit, I thought. You’ve probably even heard of them. “Fine . . . good,” I said, still not sure what to say or think.