"Courage is not the absence of fear; it is the moment you decide that your dreams are louder than your fears."
Edited
Kiekie's POV
A week had passed after that incident.
I begged Ms. Cary to take back Chuck's punishment.
At first, she was reluctant. She folded her arms and stared at me for a long moment as if trying to read my thoughts. But after I explained the situation, she finally agreed.
She did advise me to report the matter to a social worker.
I refused.
I didn't want to tarnish my parents' reputation. I also didn't want Chuck's father to lose his job or affect the lives of his younger children.
Cleo helped me convince Ms. Cary as well.
That week was extremely stressful.
We had to practice for the District Periodic Competition. I spent most of my nights studying until my eyes burned.
By the end of the week, I had memorized the first 100 elements—their symbols, atomic numbers, and mass numbers.
I was exhausted… but proud.
Thursday was the final day.
After school, we went home to rest for an hour because the competition would be held in Virginia Town. The event was scheduled for 4:00 PM GMT.
School normally dismissed at 2:30 PM, so we had just enough time to prepare.
That Thursday, March 31st, after leaving campus, I hurried home to change.
I decided to wear my favorite colors.
A sky-blue and white spotted dress, a matching sky-blue hairband, and blue-and-white flats. I styled my hair in my usual dog-ears hairstyle and adjusted my glasses before leaving the house.
I knew the program wouldn't start for another hour and a half, but Cleo said she had something special planned for me before we went.
Besides…
I didn't want to stay long in a hazardous environment.
I was afraid my family might come home and destroy the positive energy I had that day.
Ettina was upstairs with her boyfriend.
I quietly slipped out of the house before they could come downstairs and see me.
I went to Cleo's apartment.
She lived alone.
Her father had built the apartment for her because he didn't want her living near his new wife and children. According to him, Cleo was "dangerous."
So he gave her a place of her own.
Cleo's apartment was beautiful.
It had three bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, a dining room, and both front and back porches.
She used two rooms and kept the third for emergencies.
She said that room belonged to me.
She slept in one room and used the other as her music studio.
Her apartment was decorated in gray, white, and black.
Most girls loved bright colors like pink, yellow, or red.
But Cleopatra was different.
We went into her studio.
Cleo rarely allowed anyone inside—except me.
Even then, I only entered with her permission because I respected her privacy.
That day she picked up her bass guitar and began playing "Like You" by Tatiana Manaois.
The soft melody filled the room.
She told me something while she played.
"There's no one like you, Kiekie."
Her fingers moved smoothly across the strings.
"The world doesn't care about the pain you go through. People judge you only by what they see."
Then she walked over to her keyboard and began playing "Love Yourself" by Tatiana Manaois.
Cleo wasn't just a writer.
She was also a musician.
She said she played those songs to motivate me.
To remind me of who I was meant to be.
By the time she finished, I felt something strange inside my chest.
Power.
It rushed through my veins like electricity.
For the first time in my life, I felt like I could conquer whatever challenge life threw at me.
Afterward, we ate the fried potato greens she had cooked.
Later, we went to meditate.
We used the extra room—the one she always said belonged to me.
We sat in silence.
Breathing slowly.
Clearing our minds.
When the hour and a half was over, we left for the competition.
When we arrived at the competition hall, I almost allowed myself to feel intimidated by the other participants.
Almost.
But I straightened my back and whispered to myself:
I am powerful.
I refused to allow fear to control my subconscious mind.
I forgot to mention something earlier.
Before the competition, we also attended a dinner hosted by Mr. Randolph, who had invited the participants.
I brought Cleopatra with me.
It was a wonderful dinner.
I wore a long silver ball gown, and Cleo wore a knee-length gray dress.
For once… I allowed myself to enjoy the moment.
I decided to live.
I decided to do whatever made me happy.
I told myself something that night.
The perfect daughter my parents wanted…
was gone.
They would never see me cry over their love again.
Or at least…
that was what I believed at the time.
But I was wrong.
After all the participants were seated, we were given identification cards.
Cleo took a seat in the first row.
I wasn't afraid of the crowd.
But I was nervous.
This was my first science competition.
I clenched my hands together and whispered to myself:
"There's no turning back now."
Then I noticed something interesting.
Out of the ten participants, I was the only girl.
Nine boys.
And me.
Instead of feeling smaller…
I felt stronger.
I took a deep breath.
Kiekie, I told myself, get up and show the world who you really are.
Show this world of boys the power of a woman.
Keke: When you played that song by Tatiana Manaois… it changed my life. I still listen to it every morning.
Narrator: I did it because I wanted you to become the new version of yourself you are today. If I hadn't done that, we wouldn't be writing this story.
Keke: Thank you so much.
Narrator: Alright, that's enough. We need to get back to the story. Sorry, everyone. She can really be a crybaby sometimes.
I wonder how her future husband will deal with her.
Keke: Shhhh!! NOT ANOTHER WORD!!
Narrator: (Opens mouth… then closes it.)