“Do you understand? The Red Sharks is one of the strongest confraternities in Nigeria.”

He’d confirmed it. Now I was scared. Dad warned me about all this confraternity nonsense before I left. You and Ugonna have heard the stories of students going missing or getting killed in fights. It’s scarier and more common than all that Black Hat stuff from last year. Dad said they’d approach me and that I was to always say no. But it’s not the same when you are right there looking into their eyes and they are looking into yours and they know who you are. My best friend, Adebayo, was in the Red Sharks. And that meant they knew everything about me already, because he did. How had he kept this kind of secret from me for so many weeks?! I didn’t even notice any change in his behavior. I saw him often enough that I didn’t know he snuck off anywhere else. But then again, it’s a known fact that all confraternity meetings happen in the night.

I almost ran. I considered it with every part of my being. I must have tensed up because Adebayo grabbed my arm and held it tightly. “Calm down,” he said. “It’s not what you think. You’ll have a chance to get any grade you want. You’ll get to be a lecturer! No one can harm you. You want money? Many of the Red Shark members are from filthy-rich families. They’ll happily blow their wealth on you if you join.”

I admit, I was a little dazzled. Especially by the idea of being a lecturer. I could already see the pride on Daddy’s face when I told him about it. You know how he is. “I’ll think about it,” I said.

“You have three days,” the tall one said.

For three days, I thought about it. I went out that night, met up with the girls, and partied. I studied hard the entire weekend. I worked out at the gym with Adebayo, and we acted like nothing was happening. Come Monday morning, they showed up at my room. Adebayo wasn’t there. It was the tall one and one of the others.

“What is your response?” the tall one asked.

I asked them to explain exactly what they wanted again, and he didn’t hesitate or get irritated. The tall one pulled me into the hallway and quietly told me that this was an invitation to join the Red Sharks. Then he and the other guy waited.

I laughed and nodded. “Okay.”

They both smiled and we all shook hands, snapping fingers at the end. I began to relax again. Maybe Adebayo is right, I thought. Maybe it isn’t so bad.

“We’ll come back tonight,” the tall one said.

At one thirty A.M., the tall one pounded on my door. The noise woke and angered my roommates; they got even angrier when they learned that it was for me. I quickly dressed and left with the tall guy. When I got outside, it was dark because the power had gone out. But there were three sets of eyes in the dark, and they belonged to three big guys. “You must agree to join the others,” the tall guy said.