BETA-X

Chapter One

"The war is finally coming to an end and as the world picks up the pieces, Rhino Technologies, the company largely responsible for the casualties of the war and the destruction have signed a peace treaty and assured assistance to the effort to restore the nations that were affected.... "

" Titilola" the voice of a woman rang out from downstairs dragging Titi back into reality.

"Hmmm," she tossed and turned in her bed as she tried to wake up. Her body seemed to have developed a mind of its own and refused to stand up from under the floral duvet that secured her comfortably into the bed.

She blinked lazily, staring up at the fan which turned slowly. Her body didn't want to wake up this early.

"Maybe just a little more sleep," she thought out loud in a low tone as she turned to get some more shut-eye.

"Titi oooo" her mum called out again forcing her up at last.

"Hope you are not still in that bed o?"

"No ma" she shouted back as she sat up and rubbed at her eyes to clear the sleep from her eyes.

"Good because you know that you will soon have to go to the island for that something"

"Hmm," she replied absent-mindedly. He got out of bed when it seemed her mum was no longer saying anything and made her way into the bathroom.

She stared at the mirror at her sleepy face. She didn't like what she was seeing though. The tap came on and her hands paled a bit of water and used it to clean her face to at least bring some more life into it.

Before long her grooming began with her brushing her teeth, taking a bath, and washing her hair. She stepped out of the shower and after dressing up stopped by her study table to pick up her bag and some things that she considered to be vital for her trip.

She was headed for the island as part of her prize for having won a science quiz competition and emerging number one in the country. Her mum was proud but she wasn't very supportive, or maybe that was just what Titi thought.

She came downstairs to see her mother watching the news in the parlor.

"So this war thing is finally over..." Her mother spoke having reduced the TV set to talk to Titi who was headed for the dining room.

" E be like say..." Titi replied paying slightly more attention to the bread that she was spreading jam on in her hands.

"Please be careful o my daughter, the world is now a dangerous place o" she advised.

"So when they were shooting chemicals into the air and destroying places with bombs you told me to be careful and I was but even now when they have signed to peace you still want me to be careful again?" Her mother stood up and headed to the dining room assisting with the packing.

"The fact that they signed peace does not mean there will be peace omo mi" (a Yoruba word for my child) she held onto her daughter's hand and looked her in the eye.

"You have always been a smart girl, Titi and that's all fine but please I know what I mean when I say you should be careful...sho gbo?" (Translated to mean: Do you hear me?)

A light nod would do the trick here and she stepped out of the house, wearing her earbuds and heading towards the streets as she made her way for Lagos Island.

The bolt ride was alright, of course except for their arrival at the Third Mainland Bridge which was slightly congested with traffic. Titi wasn't bothered though, she never seemed to notice a thing when she had her earbuds in.

She wasn't very much a fan of artists but she was a big fan of natural sounds and their effect, the life of a nerd was her everything.

The view from the window as the car sped past was mesmerizing for her, it had also seemed to fascinate her since she was a child and even now it continued to do so except that now she wasn't wondering why the fly that had appended to enter the car didn't need to fly to keep up.

Lagos had. Improved from what she knew it to be before and the transformation was even more prominent here on the Island. She'd dream of being a leading force in technology someday and doing something that the world would appreciate and remember but she was yet to find out what it was.

But for now, she would enjoy her stay in the resort and the luxuries it had to offer to the crowned Science Wiz Of Nigeria.

The welcoming was rather uneventful but she expected that. She wasn't any person special and neither were the other people who had made their way into this privilege either.

As far as she knew, they were all just mere mortals, or maybe that's just what she liked to tell herself when things didn't meet her expectations.

She did wish that it would be more eventful but whatever.

Another car pulled up beside her ride and out of it and two boys. She had a hard time recognizing them but she knew one thing for a fact these were Yoruba boys.

"Omo" one of them exclaimed under his breath as they took in the enormity of the building that stood in front of them.

"Sheggs, this thing's massive." The older of the two said to the younger.

"Wallahi my guy, wallahi" he responded. They seemed to finally notice her presence and the older one waved at her. She wasn't sure what to do though so she just waved back.

Socializing was never her strongest thing and being blank, she sucked at it but she never felt a need to improve.

She watched them go ahead dragging their boxes behind them before disappearing behind the automated doors of the building.

"Well, one step for Titi..." She heaved and started towards the building uncertain of what she would find inside it but the uncertainty had its way of building up anticipation inside of her.

She knew within her that she wouldn't always have this kind of opportunity and so she planned to maximize it as much as possible. She felt a hunch in her spine, the kind that made her feel like she was close to making a discovery and she couldn't wait for it.