Chapter 1
1323 Words
The air felt lighter than usual and exhaustion had taken its course. Newly chilled air breezed through the open field, but it wasn't enough to stop beads of sweat from trickling over strands of my brown hair that tousled lightly above my forehead and down my face, as I ran. My leg tapped lightly against the clay ground, struggling to keep up the pace with the others.
I've always hated sports. Physical Education was my least favorite class in school. Running wasn't something I was good at but when it came to every other thing in school, I always aced it.
I had an eidetic memory, so school had always been an easy breeze for me. Being born as an eidetic meant that I had a perfect memory. I always remembered what I needed and it made excelling at school so much easier, but also being a Radiant made it harder for me to do any form of sports. My body could never absorb enough energy to convert it into doing sports. The energy was only reserved for walking or doing any form of day-to-day activities.
I couldn't even imagine why a Radiant even engaged in sports. It was extremely unfair, especially when neither the American nor British Radiants even do any form of sports. But here I was, doing something my body wasn't even capable of doing. Then again, I remembered how much bad blood trailed against Radiants in Nigeria and I couldn't help but let out a sigh.
My sigh didn't go unnoticed by Raheemat, which made her look at me. Her face scrunched up with concern. "Are you moving slower? Are you okay, Tamar? Should we stop?"
I managed to give a smile, despite how breathless I felt. Being a Radiant also meant I had to bear the weight of having no friends. No one liked a dead weight. No one liked outcasts. And certainly, no one liked people breathing out of tubes whenever they felt drained. Because of what I was, life didn't make it easier for me. Raheemat was one of the rare people I loved being around whenever I was in school. She was the closest thing I had to a friend. Her doe brown eyes would always look at me with concern and pixie sized nose would scrunch up whenever anything amused her. Every track race, she would run along with me at my own pace, despite how slow it was and how much it ached her long legs. It was her way of not letting me solely get in trouble with Mr. Sanni, my PE teacher, who unexplainably hates Radiants like me.
"Stop?" A snort eased its way out of my mouth. "So we can face Sanni's wrath? No, thank you. We're going to keep going. I'd rather endure the pain than get an F. Besides, we're almost at the finish line."
Without saying anything, she gave a firm nod that made me send a quick appreciative glance her way. It was kind of her to do any of this, despite the troubles it had gotten her into.
When we crossed the finish line, Mr. Sanni took his time to sway in front of me and grunted. His bulging stomach bounced along with each step and his dark angry eyes held mine menacingly. "As usual. Last place, Raheemat Lambo and Tamar Adu. Why am I not surprised? Now tell me, what do you have to say for yourselves?"
I wheezed out my words, while at the same time, gasping for breath. It felt like the air in my lungs had collapsed and I pressed my hand over my chest, struggling to gain composure. I couldn't help feeling breathless from partaking in this race, despite coming in last place. "I need my energy pump."
Mr. Sanni scowled. "Is that the best you can say? Just leave already."
Raheemat sent me an apologetic look as if she was apologizing for her kind but I shrugged it off. I wasn't affected by the things people like Mr. Sanni, thought about people like me. It hurt but I've learnt to move past it. They hated us. Simple and short. I had no idea why Mr. Sanni had a special vendetta against me in particular but I had come to accept it. People never really needed reasons to dislike us. They just did and I blamed the Nigerian Dictator for that.
As a sixteen-year-old Ss3 (senior year) student, I knew that I would be free from any form of high school dehumanization methods as soon as I graduated. I had been studying fervently so I could get into Caden University. It was a special school for Radiants and was insanely expensive. The only way I could get in was through a scholarship and that meant I had to have excellent grades. Not all Radiants got in, and I needed to pass meaningless classes like P.E so that I could boost my GPA and get in with ease. So for now, I was withholding everything I could and counted down every single day left, till I left this school.
I pulled out my energy pump from my backpack and put the gauge over my nose. Inhaling the renewable air as slowly as I could, I began to feel the rejuvenation I so needed at the moment. The energy pump on its own looked like an oxygen mask, that's attached to a small tank where the energy is stored in small quantities. It was unusually large but that was all my parents could afford. Besides, I needed it. I needed it to breathe. I needed it to walk. Or run or jump. I needed it to live.
Teju Briggs and his pack of arrogant stuck up friends snickered at me, while I was using my energy pump. Teju was just like Mr. Sanni. Tall and burly yet intimidating men who couldn't stand the likes of me. I could swear that I heard one of them call me a freak as they all laughed away. I fought back the frustration I felt building up in me right now. It wasn't like I could do anything about the crap they said. Because I was a Radiant, it also meant that I was weaker than any average person. Both physically and socially. So there was no way in hell that I could beat up any one of those jerks or bravely walk up to them, even if I wanted to.
I did what I always did whenever I felt frustrated. I would count to five. That was what my mom taught me. She'd always say "Sometimes walking away, doesn't mean giving up." And I believed her and held onto those words. So I closed my eyes, blocked out any negative thoughts, and took deep huge breaths, while I counted.
5. Breathe, Tamar, Breathe. Be calm.
4. That's it, girl. You're strong.
3. Yeah, You can do it. Wait, why do I hear my name?
2. Okay. Okay. But really? I can still hear my name.
I blinked my eyes open and saw Raheemat standing in front of me, looking completely puzzled. "Tamar. Tamar. Can you hear me?"
"Sorry. Sorry. I just got a little distracted." My bare forearm bristled lightly to the waves of the wind touching my skin and raising the edges of my shirt.
"I thought you blacked out while standing or something. If that's even possible. I wasn't sure if it was a radiant thing. You just stood there. Eyes closed. Doing nothing. You scared me."
"Sorry if it worried you. I was just thinking." I apologized again, watching the worried look on her dark matte face. Her short braided hair curled black ringlets on her forehead, as she watched me carefully.
"Well, there's no time for that. The school bell just rang so it's time for another class." Her face softened once again.
I smiled weakly and followed her, feeling slightly less frustrated than I was before, despite knowing how much hurdles I had to face today.
- Writer
