Once they were back at Dayeton College, the pressure to perform was on. Teachers opened every lesson with: ‘Well Grade 11s, you all know how important your end of year exams are. These results will be used to apply for university and can either help secure you a spot in a decent academic institution, or not!’ Every lesson was mixed with a dose of fear; any misbehaviour was addressed with threats of marks being taken off papers and projects. Isla and Karabo drew up a study timetable, which worked around their afternoon sports activities, and resulted in them studying in bed when they got kicked out of the library.

Weekends were spent finishing projects or playing sport. Staying at school for the usually boring mid-term break in October turned into the perfect opportunity to finish outstanding art projects, and cram information into their brains. Unfortunately, there was also a hockey boot camp for the majority of the week which devoured most of their study time.

By the end of the ten days of supposed holiday, Karabo fell onto her bed. ‘Can we please never have another holiday like this again!’ she puffed, still in her hockey kit, knees grazed. A wicked grin crossed Isla’s face. ‘Why you looking so happy?’ asked Karabo, wondering if Isla had been in the sun too long.

‘Next year we’ll be writing exams my dear friend and getting the hell out of school — forever!’ exclaimed Isla, throwing her arms dramatically up into the air. Karabo sat up with a jolt. ‘One more year Isla. Oh, my word. It’s so exciting!’ squealed Karabo.

With the certainty that this was the last holiday of its kind, Karabo felt lighter. Matric was definitely going to be hard, but all she had to do next year was get great marks, so she could get into medicine at the University of Cape Town. Since spending her weekends with the sangoma, she realised she wanted to know more about how the human body worked. She was desperate to try and learn the ancient ways of the sangoma and combine it with western medicine to really help people. Anathi had been sceptical.

‘It’s seven years, if you’re lucky my angel’ she said.

‘I know mom. But it’s right. I just know it,’ was the best explanation Karabo could offer. She heard a resigned silence from Anathi on the other end of the phone.

Isla decided she wanted to study law. Anathi believed that it was her influence that had resulted in Isla’s decision. Karabo knew that Isla was interested in law, and studying in the same faculty as Mzi at the University of Cape Town. Isla denied this suspicion flatly, and cited her desire to right the wrongs of humanity as the real reason for her decision.

‘Human rights law, Karabz. That’s what I’m going to do!’ Isla stated, standing tall and determined as she clutched the application papers.

‘Cool Isla. You’ll be great,’ she said, with an encouraging pat on the back.

Mzi had stopped being strange with Isla and they saw him most days. He was focused on his subjects and getting a few credits for his first year of law. Isla accepted his friendship graciously, and the three often hung out at the weekend when they had time. For the most part, no one mentioned William. Mzi told them he’d tried to call William’s mobile, but it had just gone to voicemail and none of Mzi’s text messages had gone through.

‘Maybe my dad is right,’ Mzi said, completely disheartened after trying many times to contact William. ‘Maybe Will was just faking it until he could get back to his dad, and tell him all about our plans to capture him.’

‘I don’t know Mzi, it just doesn’t make sense. He was dead set on helping you guys get your family treasure back. He hated his father; he was mad as all hell that Edward had chased his mom away from him and his brothers when they were so young. I can’t understand why he would go back to him?’ said a pacing Karabo. She’d been going over all her conversations with William. At no point did she feel that he’d been lying to her about how he felt about his father.

‘Oh, come on guys. William English is no angel. You know it and I know it. He hung out with us because no one else would take his bad attitude, and so he could find out information for his father. They probably set this up from the time in the cave,’ said Isla, hands on her hips, daring Mzi and Karabo to defy her logic. Karabo shrugged. It was pointless to try and convince Isla that William wasn’t the back-stabbing cretin she thought he was.

‘You’ve never liked him Isla,’ stated Mzi. ‘Besides, it’s completely out of our hands. We may as well just accept that Edward English is using my family’s fortune to rebuild some haven for thieves and criminals, and William is a part of it,’ said Mzi. Isla nodded in agreement, somewhat smug in her belief about William. Karabo simply turned away, refusing to believe either Mzi or Isla’s version of the story.

The exams at Dayeton College kicked off and were spread over three weeks. In amongst studying for the exams and writing said exams, Karabo spent her free time bouncing an orange basketball and throwing it into a hoop. Without Buzz or William to play against, she now played on her own, imagining her opponents dancing with her across the court to the hoop. She would come off the court exhausted and covered in sweat. Isla couldn’t believe Karabo could get so sweaty by playing on her own. On weekends when she wasn’t studying, Karabo would visit the sangoma and spend time with her. The first time she saw the wizened old woman after Madagascar, the sangoma nodded to herself.

‘The sea rat has proven who he really is after all. The dark won him over,’ she said, sniffing loudly as she stepped aside to let Karabo into her hut. Karabo didn’t bother to respond to her jibe. The sangoma, like Isla, didn’t care for William. Responding to either of them just opened the door for more arguing, so it was all rather pointless. It was best to stick to her original plan of being trained by the sangoma on weekends in the spiritual realm, rather than trying to discuss William with the old woman.

***

Question: Why do you think that Karabo wants to study be a doctor?