2. The Memories (The past)

Getting to extrance of the airport, the eerie feeling of déjà vu got Ann and it hit her had like a brick. Standing still in front of the airport, she remembered how she passed through those same extrance of the airport feeling so lost, dejected and a no body to relay on. She went through all that but returned proud, fulfilled, happy, wealthy, a mother entitled and that meant everything to her.

She could see the reflection of her former self in the windows as if a vision passing by in a flash, she could still remember distinctly, the betrayal she felt, her anger, her pain and her tears but that also made her swear revenge on that man and that woman. That swore revenge in the past was the main reason she returned to the country aside feeling homesick all this while and wanting to show her babies their home country. She clearly remembered her disarrayed appearance when she finally made it to the airport that day.

Lost in her thought and anguish, her hands were unconsciously clenched into a tight fist until soft tender hands held each hand and loosened the fist,”mummy are you okay, you’ve been staring into space about for about ten minutes now..” Rosy asked in a soft voice whilst taking her mother’s hand in her tiny one.

“Mummy, tell me who dared to disturb you and I will deal with them! You-you always have that look most times and when we ask you’d say it nothing but now I believe someone has truly wronged you. Who is it?? Tell me,” Bryan stated in an annoyed, commanding but childish voice making Ann forget her worries for a while and chuckled loudly.

“Come and give mummy a hug sweeties, I miss your hugs suddenly... come here my treasures”. Ann cooed at them softly.

Rosy went voluntarily but Bryan has to be pulled by Ann into the family hug because,’it will ruin his manly characteristics and appearance to the outsiders’ as he always defines hugs with them.

After the warm hug, they proceeded to enter their designated cars with their drivers. The assistants and security guards had their own cars with their designated drivers. In Ann’s car she was looking out the moving car, that was when her memories from her past started her story. A story so painful that remembering it makes her skin crawl, her heart in so much pain that she can hardly breathe, her chest tightens against her ribs and had her lungs in great distressed. Growing up in the orphanage and being the smallest one amongst every other kid has it own advantages and disadvantages. She was barely seven months old when she was left in front of the SOS Orphanage in the outskirts of the city with no useful method of identification. She was told this story so many times that she knows what happened step by step, word by word and it almost felt like she was there when it all happened. She was given the name, Annie Mcbrown by the sister in charge of the orphanage at that time because they didn't know what to call her. Sitting, lost in her thoughts, she went back memory lane, to the memory of many years ago and to the beginning of the story that both made her but also unmade her.

She sighed heavily as if she has a heavy burden on her shoulder, passing through the crowd of student till she reached her lockers. Just when she was about to her books into the her aged locker, she was shoved heavily against her locker but luckily two tiny hands prevented her from falling. She already knew who shoved her, hearing that annoying squealing and mocking laughter and high fives around her following the shoving didn't surprise her much. She didn't even acknowledge them but frowned deeply and thought,' if not for the timely intervention of this tiny hands holding me from falling, I would have fallen to my death but who would it be?. I don't have many friends nor allies, only Judith.' The teenage Ann thought to herself. She thought silently and want to see who the person to turn to see and thank the owner of the tiny hands but she heard the voice she was so familiar with,"Ann?! I don't know why you put up with that self proclaim queen bee and her minions! You've never wronged her but she and those sl*ts abuse and bully you every day since third grade." Judith said with a hint of anger in her voice.

Ann smiles and allowed Judith help her to stand on her two foot,"don't let what they are doing get to you. You know in all my eighteen years on earth or at least the memories I can remember, I've been bullied and gone thru a lot of things in the hands of a lot of people. What they are doing to me is child's play, I've through worst. Just ignore them, they will stop when they are tired." Ann uttered softly.

Judith scoff angrily," you've always said that! That you've gone through a lot but refuse to tell me what you've gone thru all this years and we've been friends since fourth grade. You've constantly allowed that self proclaim Barbie torment your life for what ever reason.” Judith argued.

Ann smiled, she didn't dare tell anyone about her life in the orphanage, but for Avirina and her groups of self proclaim barbies, she doesn't have an ounce of energy to spare on them.

" C'mon let's go to class and learn hard for our future. We need it for our own good, their future is already planned down for them by their rich parents. You still have your family but your family worth is like an ant compared to their family riches whilst I have no one to depend on so we have to learn to make our future brighter." Ann informed her friend with a sad smile.

Judith rolled her eyes but knowing what Ann said was the truth, she followed her to class unwillingly.

By the time they got to the class,the professor was standing in front the class and the lecture hall was almost full. They were being stared at like they were aliens, Ann heard the mocking words and laugher of the other students towards her but she ignored them and dragged Judith to the back seat with her. She was already used to their mocking stares and words. Pulling their note pads and pen out from their bags, they started taking note as lesson commenced whilst the others used iPads and laptops.

Deep into the lessons, Ann didn’t notice the Principal come in till lessons came to a sudden stop.

“Attention students, sorry to interrupt this lesson but we have a new student amongst us this morning”, Principal Kalu announced.

Ann rolled her eyes at the unapologetic expression on her face, if anything she looks super excitated and it was starting to make Ann very curious about the said new student.

“Rex Radford, has now been enrolled into our school by his father Alfred Radford...”

Principal Deborah Kalu paused as if expecting a reaction and a reaction she got, Ann noticed that many of the girls were adjusting their clothes and makeup. They were many shouts of excitement and pure joy in the ladies whilst the men looked a bit annoyed. She searched her mind but couldn’t find out where she had heard that name from, turning to Judith for help, her eyes nearly popped out when she saw her friend also adjusting her clothes and was even tidying up her hair.

Quickly overcoming her surprise, she rolled her eyes,”Jud, I’m surprised you are also doing what the other girls are doing, who is the new guy and why is everyone reacting like this?”,Ann asked.

Judith paused her movement and gasped loudly, “Ann! Ann, I know you can’t care about other people and the TV in your apartment is older than me but come on!! The new guy is Rex Radford, the Rex Radford!!”, Judith outburst in disbelief.

Ann looked at her dully with both eye brows upwards and asked,”And??”

Judith scoffed and wanted to face palm herself but before she could even react, the principal continued,”quiet class quiet, here he come. Behave class! Please made him feel welcome since he is new here.” Principal Kalu stated with a warning look. As soon as she finished talking, a young man entered the room making every one gasps, to say he was handsome was an understatement.

He was the kind of handsome that gets into your bones, the kind of look that speaks to you of olden times before he'd said a word. His eyes were a little black but grayish looking, people often speak of the colour of eyes, as if that were of importance, yet his would be beautiful in any shade of color.

His had the kind of face that stopped you in your tracks. He was beautiful but not in a feminine way, his lips were a bit thin that complemented his chiseled face and dimples cheeks, he was muscular but also lean and tall. He was beyond handsome and elegantly at it. He commanded attention and I guess he must get used to that, the sudden pause in a person's natural expression when they looked his way followed by the overcompensating with a nonchalant gaze and a weak smile. Of course the blush that accompanied it was a dead give-away. It didn't help that he was so modest with it, it made the girls fall for him all the more and the guys more and more annoyed.