“Kezipe, you’re going to make me late. See you in P.E after break” Mulenga said. Running out their room, book bag clinging on for dear life as it galloped horrendously up her back. Kezipe dreaded Monday morning, walking inside the painted blue walls of biology class, with its skeletons, body parts and guts of strange creatures sitting in every sink.
“…if you look carefully in your shared sinks, you are staring at the kidney of a certain animal. Placed in front of you are items that will help you pick the right animals. You each have different clues, pair up, solve the riddle and then give us a brief intro to your animal, only interesting stuff…” Mr Chongo said. He was born to teach with all his tweed jackets, eyes that looked closed and a handsome smile that made you fall instantly in love.
He wasn’t the most beautiful, but something about him drew you in. Kezipe only accepted biology because she found out he was teaching it. Up until she became friends with Mulenga it was her favourite class, she aced it and all her friends were in this class.
But now with all her friends feeling like she abandoned them for Mulenga, this class became nightmarish for Kezipe having to pretend she couldn’t hear them talk about her. “She’s such a loser hanging with that new girl. She’s always been a loser, it’s just now she’s accepted her”
The kids would speak when Kezipe was alone. Too afraid to speak when Mulenga was there in case they were heard and Mulenga threatened to beat them up.
These were once my friends, what happened. Kezipe wondered.
“Looks like you need a partner” Mbuji said. Sitting down next to Kezipe, smiling brilliantly showing off the glitter he carried in his eyes. Kezipe’s heart leaped as she flung herself forward to embrace the gorgeous boy whose smile never wore off.
“…where have you been?” Kezipe Asked. Lightly jabbing Mbuji in the gut. Mbuji’s face told different stories from its many marks, only his smile transformed him into a beauty creature.
“Why is everyone staring at us weird?” Mbuji asked. Keen on getting reacquainted with the school yard gossip. Mr. Chongo, like a puppeteer, used his hands to draw his two excited students back to the Kidneys in the sink.
Outside the blues of biology, Mbuji and Kezipe wandered round the school halls catching up, completely ignoring the hoard of students rushing to the dinning hall for their mid morning snack. Walking through the astrolabe tunnel of dreamers, with astrolabes of every sort hanging along the high walls, surrounded by words of wisdom.
“Searching can be as interesting as finding.” “A dream is worth nothing if you leave it on a pillow”
The tunnel shimmed with all manners of material in the tunnel and the painted words were coated shiny with the tunnel opening up to reveal freedom to the wanderer.
***
Mulenga walked out of the dining hall searching for Kezipe and her appetite in the crafts, painted on the walls outside the dinning hall as her eyes searched all round avoiding eye contact, trying to keep herself out of trouble with the locals.
Mulenga’s eyes focused on the astrolabes beautifying the path to the outside world. Backing away from the temptation of using the Astrolabe tunnel. Mulenga collided with a tall, muscular gentleman who was unflinching even with the coming together of their bodies.
Mulenga stopped herself, aware of the presence behind her. When she turned to face the man; she was confronted with a muscular unit, dressed for war with his combat boots and extremely tight shirt. He had a plain expressionless face, like the fighting took all the character away. If it wasn’t for his build, he could have been just another wallflower.
As Mulenga began to excuse herself, she noticed the man had similar earrings to hers and the other man who visited the night of the science fair.
Same markings, same design, worn the same way, this is dangerous. Mulenga thought. Apologizing to the man once more, Mulenga took off for her room, for the safety which Chikwendo promised. The entire run there, Mulenga pictured the rings; considering their significance after years of being the only one with them and now to meet two more people with identical pieces. Mulenga shook with confusion as she locked her door shut, missing the rest of class.
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