I knew no one could answer in our home landline but I still called. My mom answered on the first ring. I had already forgotten she was now not allowed to work as a rule pushed by the kaya so much so it made a law. She sounded out of breath when she answered the school line.
"Bogani home speaking" her soft but breathless voice said from the other side.
"It is me Mama, I was wondering if you could pick me up from school?" Why did I actually feel awkward asking my mother to pick me up from school. Had it really been that long since she picked me from school.
Both Mother Soma Yakale Ayaku and father Bogani ntuelema Ayaku of the eleventh clan of Ayaku, worked in pharmaceuticals and it was their duty to make medicinal formulas. Maybe their curse was coming from the Ayaku tribe of the east. My mother's Mom Sita Otutu Akwa was from the Akwa tribe before marrying into the Ayaku tribe. My mother, Soma Yakale Ayaku, still carried the markings of both tribes as a show of pride.
Both Ayaku and Akwa are from the east and they border each other. They had met in herbal school back then and grandfather always said grandma was fierce and used to make his life hell. The Akwa tribe was a big and prideful tribe compared to Ayaku and she, coming from the major tribes of the east, was naturally born with a big neck and an even bigger head to sit on it. She had sworn never to marry into the minor tribes but had unfortunately fallen in love with the class genius. Who was indeed my grandfather Dakuma of the sixteenth clan of Ayaku.
"It's me Lua, I got injured during fitness class." I said in as steady of a voice as I could master not to worry her.
"Ooh dear, Can you walk?" She said, sounding stressed.
"She could but her ankle is sprained, can you pick her up?" The nurse cut me off, obviously impatient at our slow exchange. The school line was for official calls not for domestic calls. We were not allowed to carry our cellphones to school. It was a law that every school abided by.
"Let me try to reach your dad so I'll see what I can do?" She said before the line went dead. Damn injuries. I hated to be dependent on anyone. With my parent's busy schedule I had grown too independent over the years and I didn't require any help to do a lot of things. I had even admitted myself to the new school.
"Guess you will have to wait for a while," nurse Sayaka said, almost offended that she would have to throw me out immediately.
"You can lie here and wait." She said begrudgingly.
"It's okay I'll wait in the front arena" I said already feeling like a burden. I never wanted to make others suffer at my expense. Besides I was feeling slightly better with the pain pill she had given me causing through my blood. The cream she applied on both my limbs had a cooling effect that was working wonders. The fitness class was the last lesson before school ended and I was thankful for that.
I dragged my body out of the sick bed and flinched in pain as soon as I was putting weight on it. I could have whimpered out of pain but under nurse Sayaka's careful gaze I swallowed it all and pretended to be as fine as a fiddle.
"Are you sure I don't have to call your boyfriend to carry you out?" She wiggled her right eyebrow suggestively as she leaned on at the edge of the sick bed. With her delusion for romance how come she wasn't married at twenty four. I wanted to correct her and defend myself but I was in too much pain so I just shook my head and ignored her. She was truly insufferable.
"Thank you for taking care of me." I placed my one hand on my chest genuinely grateful for her services. Her medical skills weren't as half bad as her delusions at least. The pain was still there but I could at least walk on my own now.
I dragged my body through the school corridors until I burst into the clearing at the front of the classes. The gate sat to my left and from there I could see when my parents arrived. I sighed in relief when my butt connected to the wooded bench. It was made with spiral endings and instead of legs two swines were curved at both ends as if they held the bench off the ground. Many other benches were scattered and they had been made for students to discuss school work or have meetings. However unbeknownst to the principal they had been turned into gossip sports.
A second later the bell went off and students poured out of their classrooms as if they couldn't wait to get out of the wretched place once and for all. I shared that sentiment with them and if Kaka hadn't turned me into a cripple I could have been the first to rush home and to my sweet room and better still to my comfortable bed.
"Lua!!" A voice said before her plum cheeks came to sight. She hadn't changed out of her fitness costume which contained of a Red bodysuit for the ladies that had a zip that started above the breast area and went all the way to the neck so that only the head and hands were left uncovered, a short black wraparound also went went around the butt and the front and stopped right below the butt. A zipper also went around the waist right below where the wraparound started at the waist, that could sever the body suit during nature calls. I had to give it to the designer for remembering that we ladies too had latrine calls. For the boys it was a black baggy overall that had two forms above the waist one like a vest on the inner body of the suit which most left on when in fitness and another like an outer layer with longer arms which they always left to hang and be tied around the waist.
Tale never ran and she looked out of breath. She was afterall from the central planes tribes who loved innovative things to put to work instead of putting in any effort. Sweat dropped down her face and she bent forward to catch her breath. Her loose curly hair had come off and was sticking to her face.
"I...I thought you had passed away and...they...they had taken your body away" she said in between breaths and I rolled my eyes at how dramatic she was being.
"The nurse told me where to find you" she added sprawling on the spot next to me.
"I'm sorry for letting the team down." I said actually feeling some feelings of disappointment bottling up in me.
Smack!
"Ouch!" I yelped, scooting away from the little violent girl. "What was that for? I'm sick, remember?" I whined. I had only known Tale for two days and it seemed like I had known her for a lifetime.
"How dare you apologize when you got injured by Kaka? That vengeful animal!" She sneered anger edging her flawless brows.
"She got disqualified and we won!" Her anger was gone as soon as it came and she was again full of joy.
"Really?" I said feeling happy. Serve you right Kaka! I didn't want to be hated by the other ladies for making them lose when I had barely started to fit in. I was so happy I pinched the chubby girl's cheeks. She was so adorable.
"Yes! After Kaka was disqualified most of the others were just chickens, it's good he hurt you and got disqualified." She nodded vigorously before realizing what she said. She smacked her hand to her mouth in a silent apology. "I didn't mean that you getting injured is a good thing Lua" she panicked.
I couldn't help but laugh at her poor attempt to explain. I was happy that my injury wasn't in vain at least.
"One for the team." I said, making her laugh too.
"My dad is already here," she said, pointing at the spot beside the school gate where a silver car was parked. "We can drop you off." She offered and I felt guilty having to turn her down for the third time in a row
"Don't say no... Look you are injured... Take it as me taking one for the team too" she pouted.
"It's not that I don't want to come with you, I can't come, my mom is coming to get me,the school called her." I assured the other girl.
"Okay then, you can skip school tomorrow I'll take your books and write notes for you" she said and for a minute I think I saw wings on her back. I shed an imaginary tear and give her the friendship stone to be my ride or die.
"You are my everything," I wiped away an imaginary tear.
"I'm taking one for the team, see you tomorrow" she touched her forehead to hand a practice of affection by her tribe and some other central planes clans that I hadn't gotten used to yet.
Maybe life in Zane district at the border of the west and central plains wasn't going to be that lonely. I thought before laying my head back to watch the students leave while I waited for my mother's arrival.
THEIR HEIGHT
Lua sagita -5,5 ft tall
Sagiri -5,11 ft tall
Kaka asakana Bami-5,10ft tall
Tale Mindatu Fuzaka-4,11ft tall
Miss Lakiya - 6,4 ft taal