chapter one

The Coker's residence

Five years ago.

Samantha barged into her room in obvious anger, slamming the door shut  with an unearthly force that shouldn't belong to someone her size, she march straight to her bed and flops down on it, burying her face and the reminat of her anger in her favourite fluffy pink fur pillow.

The door swings open seconds later to reveal another character, her eldest  brother and closest confidant, Funto Coker. He stood for a while, leaning heavily on the door in all his manly glory while staring intensely at her tiny figure on the bed with uncertainties on how best to approach her, his little "spit fire" of a younger sister without losing his limbs for it, he like everyone else knows she should be avoided at such times as this. Then her anger filled muffled voice snaps him out of his train of thoughts.

'Get out of my room and close the door behind you! I want to be left alone! I don't want to talk to anyone'

She didn't bother to raise her head and see who it is but she knew there was only one person who cares enough to come after her, she also knows he'll always be on her side no matter what but that did nothing to lessen her anger or make her feel any better.

'Including me? You really don't want to talk to me?'

Funto asked in a light teasing voice, disregarding her warning and taking her outburst as a clue to come sit right next to her on the bed, he placed a soothing hand on her shoulder but she shrugs it off harshly, rolled on her side and sat up to face him with tears stricken face to give him a piece of her mind.

'Yes! Especially you. I'm most angry with you of all people, You sat by and said nothing, you didn't defend my honour and interest so why should I consider you any better than the rest of those control freaks downstairs!'

It took everything in Funto not to burst out laughing at her resort, if he hadn't controlled the urge, she wouldn't have spare him, brother or not and he would rather his body parts are still very much intact when he finally walks out her door.

Despite her tears and wailing , he knew she's only playing theatrics to blackmail him, she claims to be mad at him but she's also wise enough to know he's the only one who can help her out of her difficult situation, smart enough to know she still need his help.

Sam is only eleven but her smartness and far sightedness is unrivalled, what she lacks for in size, she made up for it in wit, sass and cunningness. She's definitely a force of huge magnitude.

'Poju...'

He started to explain but she held her hand up at him.

'Don't call my name! don't pretend you care about me'

She wails even harder, not caring for the disgusting mucus flowing out of her nose and messing up her look.

'Thankfully I don't have a reason to pretend to care, want to know why?'

She didn't reply but she stop crying to look up at him, eager to hear what he has to say. he saw he finally captured her attention from her relaxed countenance, taking it as an encouragement, he took both her tiny palms in his, looking her straight in the eyes with sincerity.

'... Because I truly care, I really care for you Poju. You're my little sister, my little bundle of joy and your happiness is paramount to me at all time, you're my sunshine'

Regardless of her resolve, Sam found herself smiling at his confession, she couldn't help it as it somehow manage to loosen the hopeless knot in her chest.

'I know I didn't speak up for you at the dining, I know you badly wanted me to stand up for your interest, I wanted to as well but this particular matter is out of my hands Poju, I'm sorry to say but you can't have what you want this time around'

He slowly explains to her, hoping she will see reasons but as expected, she flares up and turns on him faster than he could breath his first name. Her immediate reaction goes to show he will not be able to achieve the task of persuading her to let go, appointed to him by their father.

'And why is that? For goodness sake I'm not asking for too much or the impossible'

Her yelling made him feel like he's getting scolded by an adult

'...Is it a crime to ask to be educated in the best school in the nation. Everyone I know is going there except me, all my friends and classmates from elementary school are going there! what have I done to be refused the same? What sin have I committed'

Sam found herself ranting none stop, unable to stand the injustice and unfair treatment she's being subjected to. Most especially, she can't stand the fact that she  will soon become the laughing stock if she doesn't go to ASHVILLE, her friends will mock her for it, worse still, they will start to assume something is wrong or her family have fallen off the social ladder.

The prospect of the latter is much more scary, falling off the social ladder is the most mightmarish thing that can ever happen to any affluent family... She could never forget the way one of her ex friend and classmate, Naomi, was shabbily treated when her family suddenly went bankrupt, she had to drop out of their expensive elementary school and move to a much cheaper one when the bullying got to bad.

Ever since she became grown enough to know about secondary education, she had always known she would attend ASHVILLE COLLEGE, that was where all the rich kids like herself go to for secondary education and her parents had assured her of that until they recently changed their mind out of the blues, refusing to give reasons and playing the adult "I know better and I should make all your decisions" card on her.

ASHVILLE has been her dream school for years, she had spent many sleepless nights of anticipation, browsing, stalking and learning as much as she could about the number one school in the nation, dreaming about how life, far away from her overprotective parents and siblings, in an exotic boarding school for her kind will be like, but now, all her hope is being squashed to pieces for no exact good reason.

'BEDROCK is also a very good school...'

He tried to chip in but she cuts him off again with a sharp edge in her voice.

'It's the second best! The second best Funto! How degrading can that be? I, Samantha Adepoju Coker, having to attend the second best school in the nation, that is stooping to the lowest and heaven forbids I be a party to it... I would rather die!'

'Okay that's taking it to far and extreme, it doesn't have to come to that!'

He totally understands why she's so scandalized by the idea of stooping even a little bit lower than expected of someone of her class. They live in a world where your money, connections and ties speaks for you, no one would accord you with the slightest respect if it starts to look like you're slipping off the ladder, you always have to maintain your image no matter what and that has been his biggest headache so far.

'... Why is dad even punishing me this cruelly? I did well in my entrance exam, I read late into the night and passed all my subjects, even beyond expectation so why is he intent on disgracing me?'

She questions, flinging her arms up dramatically like a market woman.

'You know dad won't purposely try to hurt you Poju, he's only doing all these in your best interest'

'How so?'

He let out a breath of exhaustion that came as a result of dealing with her while she pins him with her famous glare, waiting for an answer which she already have a hundred counter for.

'ASHVILLE isn't all sunshine and rainbow like you think, it's all easy, admirable and beautiful from the outside but dark, scary and ruthless in the inside. ASHVILLE is like a rose, but roses do have thorns and it's not a place for a soul as innocent as yours...'

'Are you trying to scare me? If that's your plan then I'm sorry to disappoint you because it's not going to work on me'

She asks, peering at him with a suspicious glimpse but found no trace of joke or humour on his face, he was dead serious.

'Adepoju...'

He continues, using her native name which only him gets to call her, for emphasis.

'I know you're smart, perhaps too smart for your small age, you're bold and can defend yourself, I have seen it first hand and I have no doubt about that, but you're too young to start fighting demons, too young to start seeing the world as a place only worth living when you have a stash of ill gotten wealth somewhere, too young to me marred by corruption, bitterness and unhealthy competition. I don't want to lose you just yet'

For a while she said nothing after he had finished speaking, his words kept ringing and playing about in her head but she could hardly make head or tail of what he meant.

'You talk as if the school is a secret cult. I know people who have gone there and their have never had a single complaint...'

'Most bitter experiences are left unsaid, it's the unspoken rules of the world. People would rather bury their pain than speak of it, because speaking of it makes you vulnerable and exposed'

'You're taking really strange, you went to ASHVILLE funto! Joel is presently a student there, so you guys get to attend the school and I don't because it's allegedly "not good for me" '

She accused, suddenly remembering the single fact that both her brothers attended the school, she was a toddler back when funto was still a student but she has heard him talk about his days at ASHVILLE, his al-mamata with so much pride and profound respect. In fact she first heard about the school from his numerous stories and Joel, her second brother is now in his final year at ASHVILLE.

'Only for three years... I left for England after that'

He reminds her.

'And Joel got expelled last semester"

The last piece of information was foreign to her, she screwed her face in confusion until the information settled in her brain properly, making her gasp out loud in shock.

The family had managed to keep Joel's "expulsion"  a secret from her and the outside world in other to preserve the family image and avoid wagging tongue, it was decided that she's still too young for that sensitive piece of information.

'Joel got expelled?! How? Why? When?'

Joel is her immediate elder brother, the funkiest and most daring of the siblings. He's five years older than her but still her best playmate and buddy. To the best of her knowledge, he has been attending ASHVILLE since his first year so she has been under the illusion he's still a student in his final year.

'Yes! Joel was expelled last year. Dad just had him transferred to another school recently'

Funto paused for a while, then continued

'He got involved in a very big scandal which would have ruined him for life, luckily it went under control and the authorities are willing to keep quiet about it in exchange for a few favours .

That's the main reason dad wants you to stay off that school, he doesn't want you dragged in Joel's mess. Everything is all for your own good'

She was too shocked to give a reply or keep arguing her course after he was done explaining, the news of the expulsion had her shaken quiet badly that Funto felt sorry for being the one who had to break it to her.

'What... What did he do?'

Sam inquires later on in a mellowed, resigned voice as Funto got up to leave, believing the message has been duly passed.  Curiosity made her want to know what terrible crime her funny, go happy brother must have committed to have himself expelled from a school like ASHVILLE but Funto doesn't think it was the right time to divulge the information to her, she's still too young and the truth will be unfavourable for her, he doesn't want to drag her into it any further than he has to.

'What he did is all in the past now! I don't want you looking at him in the light of a sinner so forget I ever told you this. All that matters now is that he's now a changed person who has learnt his lessons and errors in his way'

He lied through his teeth to keep her at ease, he would do anything to protect her innocence which includes lying to her.

Joel is far from getting any better, just that morning an email came from the principal of his new school with accounts of his rebellious act and how he has managed to gather his own little army of minions, it's already a major cause of worry for the parents that their second son feel no remorse for his wrong doing but rather chose to keep humiliating them even more at each turn, he doesn't want to add Sam to the worry wart list.

'Think about all i've said Poju... No one hated you, everyone just want you to grow in a safe environment because we love and care about you.

Give up on ASHVILLE, BEDROCK would suit you more. Goodnight'

He peaks her forehead and left the room.