SETTLING IN

The alarm clock read "4:15 am" as I stared into it with sleepy eyes. I strongly disliked having my sleep interrupted on the days I went to bed late. I had been entrusted with the responsibility of waking the rest of the crew, I considered all my siblings as crew members since we all left home for the same purpose…to be educated at a school. Being a light sleeper had gotten me the position amidst the protest of Sammy, he liked to be in charge of everything but I had won this time around. Now I had 4 siblings who had depended on my light-sleeping abilities to be punctual at school. If things went south, there was momma to intervene. She had an alarm reminder that woke her 28 minutes before I woke my brothers. On many occasions, she had no reason to intervene, i had things figured out…I liked to. It cured my anxiety, though temporarily but was worth it. Today I had a secret desire to add more minutes to my aching body. I greatly considered a power nap when the door creaked open, it was momma. She was taking a peek into our dark room to be sure I hadn't slacked on duty. She never failed when it came to helping us with the school preparations, thinking about it irritated me. It felt like they got relief from sending us out of the house. They were willing to give money or anything…whatever the sacrifice demanded. I always concluded within, that they were taking advantage of the opportunities to rid themselves of the hassles that came from bringing us into this world. I always promised myself I would be different when I had kids of my own. Deep down I knew there was more to adulthood than I could comprehend at the moment so I thought about it no further. Grabbed my brush in a hurry when I realized I had been lost in thought, no member of the crew had been woken. I hurried down the passage into the room where they all lay sound asleep. I drew closer, a thought flew in…"what if I didn't wake them?". I giggled to myself realizing the amount of power that came with the responsibility I had been given. They were reluctant as I kicked each of them in the butt, they grasped their pillows with all their might. It was evident they wanted more. It was very much understandable since we had been keeping late nights attempting to meet up with the numerous episodes of the series "SpongeBob". We had traveled during the long vacation and had so much catching up to do at school. The kids at school who were further in the series were considered the cool kids, everyone would gather minutes before the school's assembly to listen to them dropping updates on their favorite anime or cartoons. For me, I watched the series for a different reason. I didn't necessarily care about the attention it brought, quenching my curiosity was top priority. For Sammy, a highly extroverted being, he wanted to be acknowledged by all…little did he know his dreams were about to come true.

 In an instant, my thoughts were disrupted by madre's voice. "Why aren't they up yet?", she whispered in a soft voice. I knew she kept the tone down in an attempt to prevent her voice from waking the head of the house. I smiled at her, she probably wouldn't know since the lights were out and we could barely see each other's faces. I stared down at them, offering a hand to whomever I had kicked on the backside. In no time everyone was up, confusion written all over their faces as they rubbed their eyes. My job was done…I had woken the whole crew, but my problems still remained the same. I was in a school with no acquaintances, not even a neighbor. It was a burden that weighed on me so much as it took longer periods to acclimate to a new environments and the individuals inside it. I always wondered if I was created from a different substance, we were all taught in Christianity that humans were created from dust or clay, so much always went through my mind in seconds. I frowned, let out a sigh as I headed to the bathroom, my body feeling heavy as I dragged my feet. That thought undoubtedly added extra pounds to my weight. A pinch of relief came when droplets of water bounced on my forehead from the shower above me. Water always made me feel optimistic, that everything was going to be alright, but in the end it was one thing to feel and another to face reality.

7:58 am

 I could hear clapping from the distance as students barged through the gates hoping to make it before the time limit. I was in no hurry, looking for excuses not to make it in time so I could be sent home…took me a while to realize that school didn't work that way. I walked through the gates with no resistance from school authority. I was not dressed in the school's uniform and this granted me so much immunity. Being a freedom loving creature, the idea of independence appealed to me. In the coming weeks I had no intention of succumbing to their uniforms. I walked into the assembly ground panicking as usual. It was imminent I would have a thousand eyes up at me every time I walked through the students. Now, the school's assembly hall was a large one, it contained the entire population and could handle more. I couldn't say for sure how beautiful the building would be, it was incomplete and the walls had just been plastered, it wasn't a pleasant look but the management undoubtedly had plans for it, the strategic placements and architecture was proof. The structure boasted of a glasshouse appearance, it was definitely going to cost a fortune to complete.

Schools in the state and most parts of the country held prayers and an assembly before announcements were made and school activities would begin, it was a norm in those parts of the country where Christians lived. Most families did the same in their homes. My family fell under that category, despite being traders they were of strong christian faith and lived their lives according to the Bible. For me, I maintained an open mind.

I tapped my feet impatiently as I waited for the conventional meeting to be over. Everyone had been so excited that week…the term that begun was one that decided the nearest future. It was the first term and everyone had gotten into new classes, prefects would be chosen. It was a term that brought about new leadership. Sammy had applied for a position and his interest was instantly considered as he was really popular. In no time he was top contestant in his position of interest. In a week the students would vote for their desired candidates. The candidates had a lot of convincing to do, no one votes a name they never hear of or one they're not familiar with. It was time for them to entice the junior students with presents and sweet promises, they had about three days to do this. During break hours they would pop in with packets of sweets and a smile asking for a vote. "This is no different from the political elections in the country", I said to myself. During election periods, the politicians hoping for a win would act humble and be seen in places they would never visit on a normal day in an attempt to appear as a lover of the poor and the suffering. Many would donates bags of food and money to the orphanages . I disagreed with their acts as I felt they were of a selfish nature.

The gifts and promises went on and on for about three days and the fourth day would be the "manifesto day". The manifesto of each contestant would be read out to convince the pupils to vote in their favor. The basic criteria the school used for choosing contestants was their previous terms performances. Students who perform below average were not allowed to contest for a position. Many students avoided positions in prefect-ship because of the responsibility that came with it. It felt like becoming an adult too early. Most of them didn't want to grow up that fast. Indeed people differed in school and it was the same with society. We meet people everyday and discover out thoughts and the way we process information is different in it's own unique way, negative or positive it was not the same.