Chapter 5 - The Arrival

I woke up to someone shaking me vigorously, it was Tolu. She was on towel and dripping wet.

"You've not had your bath?

Hurry up it's almost time for our morning duties. Remember the Labour Prefect said it's by 6:15 prompt, it's already past 6:00, hurry"

I opened my eyes to the bright light in the Hostel, my head ached very much and I still had left over sadness from yesterday.

How come the bell didn't wake me up?

"Good morning" I said as I sprung into my towel and lazily climbed down the ladder of my bunk bed.

My Mommy advised me to greet my fellow Students every morning. She said it took away hidden bitterness amongst us.

"Good morning. Please bathe very fast, lemme quickly dress up then I'll come back"

"Ok" I said as I carried my bucket and rushed to the door that led to the en suite bathroom which was at the extreme end of the left wing.

Each wing in my Hostel had their bathroom. The bathroom was large enough, it had demarcations that divided it into about 10 units, each had its Shower. I even saw a functioning water heater at the end of the bathroom, after the toilets, and I was more than grateful.

I took a quick shower although I couldn't help but shed some tears, I missed my Parents so so much. I felt empty.

When I got to my bed, Tolu had already brought out my Day Gown, underwear, cream, perfume and she had neatly arranged them on my bed. She figured I needed help with adjusting and took it upon herself to help me.

Talk about an Angel sent from above to an unworthy me...

Tolu was already neatly dressed in her Day Gown, she had packed her hair nicely with her black hair packer unlike the purple she put on yesterday. The Social Prefect told us yesterday that we were only allowed to put on black or white hair packers or hair pins.

Unfortunately for me, Mommy had packed a lot of fancy pink hair accessories, she only put two black hair packers.

"Thank You" I said to Tolu as I smiled at her tenderly. I was beginning to like her a lot, my heart was recognizing her as sister.

She smiled in return.

I was already fully dressed when the bell began to ring continuously.

"Leave the Hostel

Time for your Morning Duty

Quickly! Quickly!"

We ran out of the Hostel with our hands linked.

Our Morning Duty was to pick litters around the Hostel compound. We were done in no time.

Then there was Breakfast which was Fried plantain, boiled egg and stew accompanied with Bournvita. Then there was Devotion and we had the had the whole day to ourselves to make friends and relax as the rest of the school was going to be returning the next day. It made my heart pound faster against my chest.

*****

Sunday arrived, the day other Students were to return.

We followed yesterday's routine only that Devotion was replaced with a very brief service, as brief as 1 hour. We had dressed in our Floral Sunday dresses, black flat shoes and hats as we walked in a single file down to the School's Chapel which was outside the Hostel Compound. The Chapel Prefect, Senior Richie gave a brief exhortation on "Love" and we did more of worshipping.

By the time we got back to the Hostel compound, the other Students had already began to arrive.

They called some of the new students to carry their luggage to their Hostel. I was anxious, I wondered who was going to be my sleeping on the bed beneath mine.

When we got into our Hostel, we saw the other students that were just arriving. They were hugging, screaming, gisting, laughing, comparing items and a lot more.

Tolu and I headed to the right wing where her bed was, she was on bed 43; although she came early, that was the bed already assigned to her after payment of hostel fees.

But before we got there, we were stopped by some senior girls who shared a corner(what we called the horizontal space in between two beds). I figured that they were Senior Girls because even though their Day gowns were red, they had v-necks.

" Hey come here!

Is this not Tofunmi's sister?"

Another one pulled Tolu by her sleeve and screamed,

"I don die!!! She's the one oh!!!

See resemblance."

Two other Seniors came into the corner. One of them clapped her hands as she took a closer look at Tolu,

"Who would believe that Senior Tofunmi would have the mind to send her own sister to this school?"

The first Senior that recognized her spoke again,

"Even in the dark I would be able to recognize Tofunmi's sister because I always watched out for her during visiting day. My earnest prayer was that she would come to this school"

The Girl that stood with the Senior that had clapped earlier laughed as she said,

"Yaff Die!!

Yaff Die!!

I will do to you everything your heartless Sister did to me. You've not started.

In fact, start by kneeling down."

She pushed Tolu down and Tolu struggled to her knees as she trembled with fear.

Another Senior pulled her ears asking her to come to the center of the corner as another slapped her.

I stood there shaking. I didn't know if I was dreaming. What was happening? My vision was blurred with tears. My friend was in a big mess and there was nothing I could do to help her.

"What are you still doing here?

Will you get out of here before you join her!

Stupid!!" One of the Seniors screamed at me.

That was how I ran to my bed, shaking and crying.

I was scared.

Now more than ever, I wanted my Mommy to come, I wanted to leave this school.