Curiosity and the Remains of Us

Chapter Five

For someone who wanted things to be ordinary, resuming school on a Wednesday wasn't what one would exactly call normal.

It was very early in the morning when Samuel woke Amarachi from sleep. She decided that it would be her normal routine since her uncle had to drop her off in school before heading to the hospital for work.

She ate breakfast in her room, leaving her uncle in the dining room alone.

After she was done eating, she wore a pink jacket and matching skirt with a white blouse. She took out her self-made braids and combed her soft hair into an afro.

Nervously, she went downstairs and dropped her plate by the sink and waited for her uncle in the parlour. He must have gone upstairs to get ready. When he came down and saw her hair, his eyes widened. "That's huge."

"Yes, it's seven years old. It should be huge."

He stood and stared at her, giving her the are-you-sure-you-want-to-take-that-on-your-first-day-of-school look.

Amarachi didn't get the look so Samuel beckoned her to go out. "Alright, let's go."

She left for the garage as he locked the door. In a minute, he was there with her. They got into the car and Samuel drove her silently to school.

It was a forty-five minutes drive from the house to the school. Her uncle arrived and parked at the kerb opposite the school.

Queen's International School.

The big sign read in gold on the wide, black gate.

Amarachi's heart did a flip.

This is it, she thought. This is finally it. Her new life had begun. Samuel stared at her. "Do you want me to come with you?"

She wanted him to but she decided to ease him of the stress. "No, I'm okay," she smiled. "I'll do it myself."

"Alright. Don't forget to meet your principal first. Get a map and your class timetable."

She blinked. "Alright."

"Stay away from trouble."

"I will," she got out of the car and shut the door.

She inhaled deeply and looked around, getting a great view of the school.

It was huge, which wasn't a surprise seeing that it was an international school. One of the biggest in Portsmouth and also one its people held with high prestige.

Amarachi walked in. There were trees of different kinds, students still littered the front yard and there was an incredulous waterfall at the centre of the school compound.

It was beautiful and very airy.

Without asking any questions or having to bother anyone, Amarachi found her way to the principal's office without ease.

They had a quick chat. The woman introduced herself as Julia West. She was blonde, nice, strong-willed and her accent was very English.

Amarachi thought and felt like she was in a movie. An English movie. She was already smitten by the people's appearances.

She had Chemistry class first on Wednesdays.

She loved Chemistry.

After their meeting, she was excused to start her morning exercise. She was given a map, a few textbooks, a locker number and code and a timetable. She walked out of the office and began the journey of finding her locker and after, her class.

As she walked into the school building, heads turned. Literally. It must have been what she wore or maybe it was her hair.

She swallowed loudly and walked with a straight face. Her armpits were already sweaty. She was grateful she wore a jacket. She hugged her books closer to her chest and continued on her stride of false confidence.