LESSONS IN SHADOWS (GL)

Chapter 14: The Day of Flowers and Shadows



"Where is Jennifer Mwikali?"

Miss Emily's voice was quiet, but it carried across the lab like a string pulled tight.

A group of Form Four students looked up from their half-assembled circuits and labeled apparatus. They were preparing practical displays-pulleys, voltmeters, wires tangled in calm chaos. The science club had scattered itself between the lab and the adjoining classroom, focused but restless.

"She is not here, Miss," one of the girls replied pushing her glasses up.

Miss Emily stood by the window, arms loosely crossed, watching the courtyard below.

The St. Peter's bus was the first to arrive. Caroline stepped forward from where she had been standing beside Jennifer, holding a neat bouquet of white and pale pink roses. She walked toward the arriving students, her eyes scanning the crowd looking for their Physics Club president."

Jennifer remained near the steps, where she had moved slightly aside, waiting now for the St. Andrew's bus.

She was not in her jacket like the others, but in a crisp, cream blouse tucked neatly into her school skirt. Her blouse hugged her just right, the sleeves rolled with care. Her dark hair was parted cleanly, tied into two low burns, and strands framed her cheekbones like it had been done with intentions. Her skin, softly lit by the early morning light, made her look...different today. Quietly striking. In her hands, she held a bouquet of flowers same as Caroline's.

The second bus rolled in and came to a gentle stop.

The door opened.

Kevin stopped out-tall, composed, his eyes searching the small crowd.

In his hand, he carried a different bouquet. It was elegant-a fuller arrangements of ivory, blush, and lavender roses, wrapped carefully with a darker ribbon. It stood out immediately-thoughtful, beautiful, far from ordinary.

And standing right there before the bus, waiting, was Jennifer.

There he was-Kevin-with that same quiet, magnetic smile that had turned so many heads during his last visit. The duet with Jennifer still lingered in memories like a favorite song. He stepped down from the bus with the same effortless grace as that day, his presence poised and gentle.

Then with a soft gesture that felt almost ceremonial, Kevin extended a bouquet of flowers. It was not overly grand but the way he held them out, almost like a knight honoring his princess, made the moment feel suspended meaning. Jennifer, lips parting in a small smile, offered her own flowers in return. For a moment, they simply stood there, exchanging more than just bouquets.

Miss Emily blinked.

Three bouquets. Three students. 

Yet Kevin's-and Jennifer's reaction-stood apart.

Her hand in his. No words. No explanation.

Only something unsaid blooming softly in the quiet morning air. 

Students from St. Peter's and St. Andrew's were now walking in groups toward the physics lab, carrying their projects and equipment with care. Some pushed small trolleys loaded with materials, while others held tightly to nearly labeled folders and rolled-up charts. The corridor filled with the quiet shuffle of footsteps and hushed voices as they made their way.

Jennifer walked beside Kevin, the bunch of flowers he had given her still gently resting in her hands. The petals, pale blue and soft white, seemed to glow against the crisp fabric of her ironed blouse.

As they moved through the hallway, a voice called out-light and familiar.

"Kevin?"

Kevin turned a soft smile forming. "Brian?"

Brian strode over with a grin. He patted Kevin's back in that casual, boyish way.

"Still the same magnetic smile," Kevin said amused, then noticed the bunch of flowers in Brian's hand. "Didn't expect to see you here. I didn't know you were in the physics club too?"

Brian chuckled, adjusting the strap of his bag. "In fact, I'm representing our school's physics club too.

"Oh?" Kevin raised a brow. "Thought you were all about agriculture."

"Physics is my second favorite," Brian replied with a proud smirk. "As you can see, I'm leading it now."

Then, his gaze shifted to Jennifer. He stepped forward, offering her a light handshake.

"How are you, beautiful?" he said smoothly.

Jennifer smiled, returning the gesture.

Brian gave a wink, then turned back to Kevin with a smirk.

"Let's see what the Beauty with Brains has prepared for us today."

Kevin chuckled. "We'll see."

Brian nodded, then stepped away with his group, leaving Kevin and Jennifer alone again for a moment.

Jennifer glanced at the flowers in her hands. A quiet smile tugged at her lips.

Someone's going to be very happy today.

Inside the Physics Lab...

Miss Emily stood near the front of the room, facing the now-settling visitors from St. Peter's and St. Andrew's. She offered a polite, composed smile as the students took their seats and glanced around the lab.

"Welcome to Our Lady of Fatima," she began, her voice measured but warm. "As the head of our Physics Department, I hope you'll find today's session both challenging and collaborative. Take this as a chance to share ideas across schools. Learn not only from what taught, but from each other. Make yourselves comfortable.

A few polite nods followed from the arriving students.

Then, the door creaked open behind her.

Jennifer stepped into the lab, her usual calm steps sounding sharper today against the tiled floor. In her hands, she carried a bunch of fresh flowers.

Miss Emily blinked once, barely reacting outwardly. But in her mind, a quiet voice whispered:

was it really necessary to bring flowers into a physics lab?

Still, her gaze didn't linger long. She returned to flipping through the textbook in her hand, masking the thought.

Jennifer walked forward, settling the flowers gently on the side table before addressing the students with clear confidence.

"To make this easier," she began, "we'll work in groups of three. Each group will include one students from Our Lady of Fatima, one from St. Peter's, and one from St. Andrew's. That way. We all get to contribute ideas and methods across schools."

Her classmates looked around the room, whispering and beginning to pair off.

Miss Emily nodded from her corner. "That's well-structured. Go ahead and find your teams," she added. 

As the movement in the lab began, something unexpected caught Miss Emily's eye again.

Jennifer and Kevin-the same Kevin who was once nicknamed The Knight of the Princess-had already grouped themselves, smiling faintly at each other.

And then, as if fate added a final brushstroke, they were joined by Brian-the sharp, witty boy from St. Peter's. The one who once outshone even Cynthia in the agriculture presentations.

Miss Emily's fingers paused mid-page. Her thoughts, for a moment, were no longer on Newton's law.

...

"Mr. Kevin, is that how they teach application at St. Andrew's?"

The question came from behind them-cool, crisp, and unmistakably Miss Emily's.

Jennifer stiffened.

Kevin turned, only to meet Miss Emily's gaze from where she stood leaning slightly against the side counter, arms folded across her chest. She hadn't moved, but her voice had silenced the entire table.

Kevin hesitated, then smiled lightly. "Ma'am?"

Miss Emily pushed off the counter slowly, walking forward with the quiet command that made her lecturers feel like rituals. "I asked," she said again, tone sharper now, "if improvision is the new method at your school. Because unless something's changed in Hooke's Law, your approach risks giving you skewed readings."

Jennifer lowered her eyes, hands resting over the notebook where Kevin had just drawn a quick diagram. For a moment, she looked uncertain-then almost instinctively, she added, softly. "Actually, if you adjust the spring's zero point before measuring, it could still work."

Miss Emily's eyes shifted. They rested on Jennifer. "That's true-if recalibrated properly. But then again, Miss Mwikali rarely guesses."

There was a slight hush in the lab.

Brian nudged Kevin with a quiet laugh. "Bro just got schooled."

Kevin only smirked, but something in his tone was softer now. "Lesson learned."

Miss Emily didn't smile. She turned, calmly, returning to the corner of the lab where her book still lay open-her attention, however, seemed far from it's pages.

Jennifer sat still for a moment, the warmth of Kevin's earlier confidence now tangled with something else-Miss Emily's voice, her precision, her sharpness...and the fact she had addressed Jennifer by her full name.

Not Jenny. Not "Jennifer."

Miss Mwikali.

...

The room was still buzzing with movement. Chairs scraped, folders zipped, a few voices drifted toward the doorway as students shuffled out in small groups.

Jennifer remained at the bench, head slightly lowered, packing her things with unhurried hands. The scent of chalk and iron filings still lingered faintly in the air.

"Jennifer."

The voice cut through softly-not loud, but enough. Miss Emily hadn't moved from her place near the windows, her eyes steady beneath the folds of her scarfs.

Jennifer straightened slightly, turning her head toward the sound.

"Before you leave," Miss Emily said, her tone smooth but watchful, "please double-check the equipment. The health kit, the voltmeters...Ensure everything is left in proper order."

Jennifer didn't answer right away. Her eyes flicked down to her bag, then across the bench where a coil wire still lay.

Behind her, Kevin, who had just slung his bag across one shoulder, paused at the door.

"I'll help her," he said, casually stepping back inside, voice light but sure.

Miss Emily raised an eyebrow, only slightly.

"You're a visitor, Kevin. You don't have to."

Kevin smiled. "How can I leave her behind?" 

His tone was light, but laced with a quiet conviction-as if the thought of letting Jennifer sort everything alone didn't sit right with him.

Then he added, almost playfully, "She the one who knows everything. I might learn something...or maybe steal a secret or two."

His words hung in the air-half a joke, half a challenge.

Jennifer didn't look at him directly, but a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she passed him the tray of wires. Their hands brushed. A current, quiet but charged, passed through that moment.

Miss Emily sat unmoving at her desk, her gaze unreadable. She said nothing-but her silence seemed louder than any reply. 


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