Today was the first day of classes. My schedule had been sent on my school terminal website, where several other students were also registered.
Sitting in the left-side corner of the classroom, I slowly observed the people I would be spending the rest of my three years with.
Several murmurs and whispers echoed throughout the room as some people exchanged greetings and small talk.
Surprisingly, I could hear some of them speaking in Swahili and some speaking in different languages. No one here spoke English, though.
"Are you really that Zahara Nia?" An excited voice broke through the air.
I turned behind me to find a bright girl with big eyes and a round face eagerly watching me.
"Nice meeting you. I am Nia," I replied.
"Yes! My name is Joy Rukundo," Joy responded.
Hearing her last name, I connected it to region D, specifically Uganda. It meant 'love'.
"I heard rumours that you would be coming to Angla; I didn't imagine that we would be in the same class!" Joy added, "I am also from Region D too."
My intuition was indeed right.
"Hello everyone, my name is Uweru Leba. I am happy to meet you."
A voice suddenly broke the chattering in the classroom.
I turned to the front, and the sight of a tall boy with high cheekbones, brown eyes, full lips and a clean cut came into view. I praised myself; in connecting people to different regions, he had to be from West Africa. People from there had a defined bone structure and a variety of features.
"So I guess we are all new students here," Leba continued. "If it's possible, let us introduce ourselves to each other before we begin classes. This is to make us familiar with each other earlier on."
A medium-sized boy with glasses stood up and walked to the front. Quickly introducing himself with the encouragement from Leba.
This process continued until it was finally my turn.
All the murmurs immediately stopped when I walked to the front. I looked at these young, lively people in their twenties and internally sighed. I didn't know what had happened after all these years, but seeing these young people all alive and well with no worries of wars that had become the norm during my time, my heart was filled with relief.
"Hello. My name is Zahara Nia; I am looking forward to my time here with everyone," I stated.
No sooner had I finished speaking than the door swung open, startling everyone. All the attention turned in that direction, and a very tall boy with locs covering his eyes and a hard leather-like jacket walked on. On his back was a bookbag, and in his hands, a box came into view.
"Sorry, this box made it so hard for me to open the door," the man stated. When he turned up, I saw that he had jet-black skin, his eyes were sunken, his cheekbones were highly defined, and his smile was bright, contrasting strikingly with his skin. He had traits of people from South Sudan but not really. He might have been from Senegal if I wasn't wrong.
"Keep going," he said before attempting to go away.
"Wait, Zahara was the last person to introduce herself; you are the only person who is left," Leba stated.
"Oh. My name is Yekini Gaye." The boy flatly stated, "Can I put my box down now?"
Before Leba could reply, the boy walked towards the only seat left in the very last row.
I also walked back to my seat.
"Wait!" a call halted my steps towards my destination.
I slowly turned and saw a boy with a round afro and a strong physique. He had introduced himself as Ade earlier.
I curiously looked at him, waiting for what he had to ask.
"I had a question for Miss Zahara Nia," Ade stated.
"Go ahead," I answered.
"How come a student like you decided to come to this department?" Ade inquired, "I have heard all about your family, their achievements and also yours. I feel like you should have taken another route."
When Ade was done speaking. I noticed that many students were looking at me as though they also had the same question all along. Even Gaye was no different.
I gave a small smile at their curiosity.
"Have you ever imagined that life can be beyond science?" I asked.
I was a dead person standing before them; surely, science wouldn't support this theory.
"What do you mean?" Ade enquired, "We all know science is the most powerful and the very source of our existence."
"It just occurred to me one day that I had to get to the bottom of things." I said, "This time, science will not be at work; history will."
After saying that, I walked to my seat, leaving everyone confused. I didn't know what their thoughts were, but I couldn't elaborate further.
Soon after, our teaching assistant came in. His name was Keyo Acuto. He was an acclaimed assistant who worked hand in hand with the federation.
He told us to introduce ourselves, hence having to repeat the entire process.
Once done, it was time to choose the class coordinator and an assistant.
Personally, I didn't want any prefectorial roles. What had brought me here was one thing: to get to the bottom of the existence of this place.
How far did its history go? Who exactly was that unknown teacher that was once arrested in this school? For what reason was he arrested? Where could I find him?
"Miss Nia?"
A call brought me back to the present. I found Mr Keyo standing right in front of my seat, which slightly stunned me.
"What are you thinking so heavily about?" The elderly man inquired, "Young people shouldn't be stressing about anything."
"Sorry, I was slightly absent-minded," I acknowledged.
"The students have chosen you as their assistant class representative and coordinator," Mr Keyo stated. "Can you take on that role?"
I was slightly stunned as I slowly looked at the students around the class. Their faces showed that they had an approving veto.
"I am willing," I stated.
I couldn't be absent-minded and a disappointment at the same time.
Thinking about it, being the assistant coordinator wouldn't hurt. I would be close to my colleagues and also go places that I otherwise couldn't if I were an ordinary student.
This was a win-win deal.