The rain had stopped, and the sun slowly rose. The bell rang and all the students rushed out to observe their breaks. Several students brought their lunch in plastic baskets. Many others ran to the school shop to buy a snack or get a drink. I took time to settle a bit. Somehow, the teachers here were already used to the students.

'Was I the only new one here?' The term had just commenced today.
I took out the robb balm Mrs Igwe gave me earlier, to rub my feet. The woman was friendly. Thinking about her brought a smile to my face while applying it on my legs. I almost didn't feel the pain.

"You scrubbed the toilet, didn't you?" A figure walked up to me.

I looked up at the person speaking. It was my seatmate, the albino girl. Her brown eyes danced under her thick, transparent lens. Her milk-coloured skin and hair made her unique among other students I've met, but this was the first time we shared a conversation.

"Yes," I replied to her.

Then, I covered the balm and placed it back into my school bag.

She tore a pack of plantain chips and crumbled a piece into her mouth. Eating, completely ignoring me as if we didn't share a conversation just now.

"How long have you been in this school?" I asked, hopefully.

"I've always been a student of this school and I graduated from their primary section last term. You're the first transfer student we've received in J.S 1C," she explained, sipping on her big water bottle. "You didn't bring lunch?"

"Yes... Due to the rush." I muttered guiltily.

"You are now at Afikpo Community High School. Get yourself prepared. After all, there's a reason this is the best secondary school in Eboyin."

"Ding-Ding! Ding-Ding!" A bell chimed aloud. "Break Over!" the timekeeper alerted. And the students hustled into their various classes and the class grew noisy again. The arrogant boy from earlier sneered at me before taking his seat.

I just turned away, watching the other kids chat in groups. Except for my seatmate and I.

"What's your name?" I asked her.

"Miracle. Miracle Chukwu."

"What about him?"

"Oh, that's Jeremiah Igwe. He has been the class monitor of the class ever since our primary school."

"Really? Then, is he still the class monitor now?" I turned to her in curiosity. Miracle's shoulder raised in a shrug, as if saying, obviously.

A teacher stepped in and I recognized her to be the teacher who led us to wash the toilet. Once she entered, she placed her books on the teacher's wooden desk and hit it with a cane at hand. Just to gain our attention.

The noise suddenly subdued, while all students sat and watched her disappointed face.

"Good morning, students!"

A loud chorus of "Good morning ma." followed. And she nodded in satisfaction.

"First, I'd like to introduce myself. I am Mrs Francisca Uzo, but you can call me Mrs. Uzo. I will take you Social Studies and Cultural and Creative Arts. You must keep in mind that I hate noise. I dislike lazy and naughty students who take their studies for granted. If I catch you missing my note or tearing your exercise book, you'll be a scapegoat. I don't welcome unnecessary jokes, so beware." She pointed out, walking through the first row with her arms folded to the back with the cane.

"If you have a question, just raise your hand and I will answer you. I don't want to hear anyone call my name or say Aunty to me!" she emphasized.

"I would have suggested you introduce yourselves, but there are 99 students in this class. Therefore, we move to our first topic of the term on Social Studies. Please, no silly designs on your exercise book."

Mrs. Uzo faced the board, wrote and underlined a word on the blackboard. "Family."

"Who can tell me? What is family?"

A couple of students raised their right hand, as she required.

"You." Mrs. Uzo pointed at a girl with two parted shuku.

"A family is the bond or union of people who are blood-related."

"Correct, a sound clap!" The entire class gave her an applause for her statement.

"You!" She pointed to a boy behind me. It was Jeremiah.

Like a lecturer, he rose to his feet and demonstrated with both hands. "A family is a group of people related by blood, marriage, law or custom."

"Yes... That's brilliant!" She declared. "A sound clap!"

"You!" Mrs. Uzo pointed at me.

'I wasn't even raising my hand. Did she recognize me from earlier?' I wondered. I wasn't ready to do this, but of course, I knew the definition of family. I'd known it since I started my basic classes.

Jeremiah's lips squeezed out a laugh as he watched me. He must see me as an idiot.

Well, I'm not.

"A family is a group of people..." The crack of my voice felt like it wasn't mine.

My heart sank at the eyes gathered around me. Why isn't it coming? I cried mentally and shut my eyes, lost for words. I had never stood amidst such a crowd. It's no big deal. It has never been a big deal until now. My nerves soared. Lost in breath, I trembled.

"Have you suddenly got deaf or what? Our scholarship student can't define family?" Jeremiah's giggled filled the class, and it exploded in a roar of laughter. "Do you even have a family?"

I opened my eyes and looked around. Miracle's face turned red. She just held her forehead, looking down at her notebook in disappointment.

"Fa-Family is a gr-group..." I opened my mouth to define it, but fear crushed me with an overwhelming force of a tidal wave in me. I drowned in its embrace.

"Quiet, all of you!" Mrs Uzo yelled. "I told you I don't welcome jokes, and you..." She pointed at Jeremiah. "Be warned."

"Sorry, ma." He squeaked an apology.

"Take your seat." Our social studies mistress ordered, and I dropped to my chair. Then, it hit me how harassed I was. It took me so much courage not to cry at this moment. My blurry eyes skimmed as Mrs. Uzo walked up to the blackboard to write the definition of family. I felt a bit relieved now that the gazes were gone, but my heart still raced.

Mrs. Uzo continued the note and everyone concentrated on their exercise books. Gazing at Miracle, she didn't say a word. She just focused on the writing. My hands shivered at the grip of my pen. Glancing at the board, I realized that it was completely blurred. Her handwriting was tiny. I could barely see the topic. The class was a graveyard, and other students were monuments. I didn't want to distract them anymore, especially Jeremiah.

It's my first day in secondary school and he creeps me out already.

I stretched my neck for Miracle's book. I only copied the first line when she discovered I was copying from her. Miracle shifted to the edge of our seat and silently covered her book that I couldn't copy her. This wasn't an exam for crying out loud! Everything here felt so different.

I felt neglected.

Stretching my eyes was worse. I raised a hand so the teacher would walk up to me, but she didn't even turn back. The weird stares came again and I gently lowered my hand. After a couple of minutes, Mrs. Uzo wiped off the board to continue her notes.

Aluma, a girl who sat next to Jeremiah, tapped him by the arm. She whispered something into his ear and they turned in my direction, snickering. Mrs Uzo turned back, and her eyes raked the class of students. My poor heart skipped, as I knew I might be exposed once again. I faked writing notes, moving just the pen in my hand without writing anything. This was so humiliating that a drop of sweat lingered between my legs. I made a silent prayer that she wouldn't ask them what was funny.

She just walked by, supervising. Almost getting to my row, Miracle turned to me and glimpsed at my almost empty notebook.

"Why haven't you written anything?" She raised a brow.

"I'm shortsighted," I whispered. And she opened her book, letting me copy with style.

Mrs. Uzo was about to get to my seat when she turned back. She gave a serious look at Aluma's notebook and nodded.

"Write the two types of family and define them." Our social studies teacher gave us an assignment. "To be submitted on Thursday morning on my table." She instructed before stepping out of the classroom.

Another teacher stepped into the class immediately after Mrs. Uzo left.

I completed my Social Studies note, and I didn't ask for permission when Miracle opened her notebook for me to copy. After closing hour, I walked to the principal's office to check on her as requested. On opening the door, I met Jeremiah eating a loaf of sliced bread and taking a bottle of chilled coca cola to it.

Startled, I paused for a moment before latching the door behind me.

"Good afternoon, ma." I greeted.
My eyes avoided Jeremiah even though his presence in the room made me want to face him and ask him the why he was on my nerve. His brows pulled in a frown when his eyes caught up with mine.

"Oh, you're here, Adaku." A bright smile lightened Mrs. Igwe's eyes once it caught mine.

I glimpsed at her, then at Jeremiah. His eyes rolled in disgust as he suddenly stopped eating and had his attention on me now that I was there.

"You asked me to see you before going home, ma." I reminded her my reason for visit.

"Yes,"

Mrs. Igwe sat upright in her executive leather chair and brought out a file from under her desk. In it was a document. Mrs. Igwe photocopied the document with her photocopy machine and handed me the new copy.

"Give this to your parent. It's the list of textbook they need to get by the end of this week. They can either get it in the bookshop or here, at school, but we don't have English and Mathematics textbook for now."

"Okay, ma." I nodded with a smile, placing the neat document in between my exercise book, and then back into my schoolbag.

"Jerry." Mrs Igwe turned to my classmate who was in her office, with a frown. "Why aren't you eating?"

"I don't feel like eating, mum. I prefer fanta to Coke." He complained.

My eyes puzzled at his words. "Was she really his mother?" I yelled mentally, unable to fathom their relationship.

"You'll get fanta when we get home." Mrs. Igwe smiled at him once again before taking her sit. Jeremiah gave me a dirty look while tying the remaining bread in its leather. To this, his mother pet him like a cat while I stepped out of her office.

When I got out, I realized they both had the same surname. 'The principal must be his mother. What a spoilt brat! The only time I get a coke to myself was on Christmas. The only chance I have to taste soft drinks was if my mum shared one from her meetings. Jeremiah is no doubt a rotten egg, but his mother has a heart of gold.'

I took the path home along with other students of the prestigious Afikpo Community High School, only to know that I was the only student from Evuma Commuity.

Getting home took another forty minutes. I had a shower and put on my favourite lace gown. It had patches here and there and the white was rough and faded, but it offered me much comfort. I knew we lived from hand to mouth, so I never bugged my mum to get me better food, or clothing.

Once I settled in, I collected the dried firewood, made a fire at the backyard, placed a pot on the fire, and started preparing dinner. I peeled a tuber of yam, sliced it and positioned it into the small quantity of boiling water.

Apart from being a farmer, my mother worked at a local sawmill not so far from our home. She received a wage of #700 daily, just as every other worker hired in the sawmill, and closes at 4:00 p.m. Ndidiamaka only rests on weekends. Then, we have time to fully care for the house and our farm. I had just finished preparing peppered stew with snail when I heard her approaching footsteps.

"Adaku! Are you home, my daughter?" her excitement made me hurry to the front yard to welcome her.

My mum hardly smiled. I wonder if she made extra cash today, but I couldn't even smile. "Mummy!"

"You're home. How was school, my daughter?"

'Horrible! Terrible! I wonder if I should complain and take a transfer to any other school except Afikpo Community High School. With the way they humiliated me at school today, I never wish to go back.'

"Fine, mum." I mumbled a lie.

Collecting her baggage, I hurriedly carried it inside. While entering, her hand slapped the front door close, and it cried like a creaking piece of wood.

"That sounds like a lie." She murmured in the room while tying a wrapper on her chest to take a shower. "What happened?"

I ignored my mother's questions, knowing it was no use telling her exactly what happened. My mum is a disciplinarian. She would scorn me for being shy in front of others. I couldn't even define family.

Once she had finished bathing, Ndidiamaka sat me down before her and she hungrily devoured the yam and peppered soup.

"I will tell you after supper."

"No, I'm all ears, Adaku. You have no idea how excited I am to sponsor you to Afikpo Community High School. Back in the days, when school were still schools. They awarded scholarships and sponsored the best students abroad to study their dream courses. That is what I want for you my daughter. I hear they still open such scholarship for the Junior Secondary and Senior Secondary students. So you have to tie your belt from now on." My mother advised.
"Opportunity comes but once, my dear... This us a chance for you to dream a life you deserve. So think carefully who you make friends and who you take as enemies. Okay?"

"Okay mum." I nodded, chewing hard on her last words.