PHOEBE'S POV

I run, as fast as my legs can carry me, I run. I take a glance at my wristwatch and cuss. How the hell did this happen? I keep on running, avoiding collisions and apologizing at those I brush past all the way.I need to be at home this very hour. If am late for dinner, I am screwed. I promised mom I'd most certainly be there to dine with our family friends, the Carlyles.

They had been living in Emperor city for a few years before we moved here. they had helped us settle in and my mom was returning the favor by hosting a family dinner, she had earlier informed the family of this dinner and expected we would all be present especially us the kids because she knew we didn't exactly like the Carlyle's kids but insisted we should be present out of courtesy. Damn courtesy!

Knowing am the most likely person not to show up, she had threatened me. Yes, my mom threatens and she is not bluffing. Knowing also that I would get in the way of her grand preparations, I had opted to take a walk around the area which is very extensive but I had the aid of a map and so, I felt confident about wandering except I lost track of time!

 I missed an oncoming cyclist by a few inches and fell at the side of the road. I brushed myself and got to my feet. I came face to face with a puppy. I was startled, I glanced about, there was no one. Where was the owner of this cutie? I gently reached to stroke the puppy, it did not seem to mind but instead seemed pleased as it wagged its tail and kept sticking out its tongue excitedly. My heart went out to it instantly, the puppy reminded me of Killian... Killian. Its felt like a life time since the last time I saw him. the cutie suddenly met my eyes and i swore i saw emotion flicker in those brown doey eyes. 'why are you sad pretty lady?' I think I heard the puppy say but I answered anyway.

  '' Am sad because I wish my life were different, speaking of which I am late right now for a dinner. I hope your owner finds you." I stroked his head one last time and tried to go on but the puppy tagged along, I had to pause and turn back to him. "You want to come home with me? Am sorry but i can't take you with me." I noticed the paper bag he held onto with his mouth about then. "Hey, who owns that?"

'This belongs to my owner, she likes to have them every evening and so i  have to get them for her' the puppy seemed to say. I was confuted that I seemed to understand but I told myself that my wild imagination was messing with me, that is exactly it.

"So, do you know where you have to go?" I asked the puppy, I seemed crazy at the moment I know but I just found myself going along with it.

'Sure I do. I live at Graham street, no 18.'

"Well if I think I heard you, which I don't since am no animal whisperer, you said you live at no 18 Graham street, I live at no 19. So, I imagine I heard you say that because am imagining a coincidence. Anyway, just come along." I said to the cutie and went along, the puppy was behind me all the way. I imagined he would go at the next bend or something but he didn't.

I shook my head repeatedly telling myself that it was definitely my wild imagination at work. I finally arrived at our duplex located on Graham street, no 19 and when I searched for the puppy, there he was, next door on no 18. My jaw dropped as I saw him drop the paper bag, get on a little box that went up when he went in. He pressed the scan button on the door and after a few seconds, a somewhat middle aged woman opened the door. She didn't seem like someone who had a kind demeanor and this was proved when she yelled at the cutie telling how long he took to get her doughnuts. I was displeased, I meant to butt in but was stopped when our front door clicked open and my older sister, Lexi said my name. I turned to face her at once, she regarded me from head to toe before blurting,

"You are not ready. Its already 6.45 pm Phoebe. Do you want to get in trouble with mom again?" she sighed when she saw I stared at my feet guiltily.

"Alright, just go on in and get ready. Our guests will be here in about 15 minutes, that is all you have left." Lexi said. I shot her a grateful smile before going on in. the sweet smell of roasted turkey seeped in through my nostrils. I ignored it and dashed for my room.

I took a quick shower, pulled out a green dress from my wardrobe and hurriedly got dressed. i managed to style my wavy long honey brown hair into a neat bun. For make-up, i simply put on powder, applied a peach colored lip gloss and put on some mascara. I slipped my feet into a pair of black stilettos and turned to look at myself in the mirror; I looked fine going by my own judgement. I had no jewellery on, mom would certainly be displeased. I found a necklace and put it on. I didn't particularly like earrings and so I left my ear the way it was. Now I was ready. I heard our doorbell go and I took a deep breath. I assured myself that the night would go well before finally leaving to confront whatever was coming next.

    I came downstairs in time to see my parents, both dressed up; warmly welcoming the Carlyles. my mom's gaze suddenly drifted and rested on me. Her light green eyes accessed me in an instant, she frowned ever so slightly before her facial features relaxed. she slightly tilted her head to the side urging me to come over, I complied. My two older siblings, Lexi and Dylan looked all dressed up as well. I wonder why my mom made such a big deal about us dressing up for a simple family dinner with family friends! But then again, my mom had always been one for appearances.

   I adjusted my spectacles; I wear glasses, my eyesight isn't particularly great. Standing with my family, I politely acknowledged the Carlyles. Mr. Ronald Carlyle seemed like a pleasant man and he smiled pleasantly at me when i greeted him. His wife seemed the opposite of him, she had an upturned nose and carried herself with an air of confidence, not the good kind anyway. The Carlyles had three children, the twins; a boy and a girl, 18 years of age; and a boy, a somewhat shy blondie about my age; 16 going on 17. Truly, he was the only one of the kids we actually liked.

    After we got seated around the dinning table; i honestly do not know how mom managed to accommodate 10 about a dinning table of 8, dinner took off on a good. Mom's steak was perfect, as always. She has always been a beautiful cook, no surprise she is a professional chef. The conversations were mostly the affairs of the parents. Us the children focused on our meals and hoped that the time would fly.

''....ah yes. My daughter Phoebe was accepted just recently.'' I heard mom say. My senses were instantly alerted. I pushed up my glasses and cast a sideways glance at the woman who had been my mother for the past 11 years of my life.

''You don't say,'' Mrs. Carlyle gushed '' that is incredible. Pristine is one of the best schools across the world. That would make your daughter's CV impressive.''

Icaught the wistfulness in her voice but it disappeared as soon as it came because she began to list off all the reasons i was inadequate for Pristine.

''But Pristine is mostly for the 'enabled', Phoebe isn't. And... and the fees are quite exorbitant and there are other factors at play here.'' Mrs. Bree Carlyle said. My mom regarded her quietly from underneath her long beautiful eyelashes, I could see the wheels in her head turning.

There is something you'd like to know about this woman who i call 'mom'. She is someone who is very calculative, unpredictable and a downright disciplinarian. I love her with the same intensity that I most often spite her. She is beautiful, my mom; Mrs. Clare Nicole Patterson is a size four at age 44, with a flawless pale skin, light green eyes, a five foot nine, platinum blonde hair and a smile to die for. But don't be fooled, that is just one side of her, the other can be a devil. This woman can put you under house arrest for a month for simply defying her others, she can cancel your allowance for three months straight because you did not get a perfect score in a test or spent your allowance on something she considered useless. In all honesty, she can be very scary.

''Did I forget to mention that Phoebe got accepted on full scholarship and besides," mom said putting down her fork before meeting Bree's eyes menacingly and yet with a smile spread across her lips. ''Pristine is for everyone.''

Bree gulped. Go mom! "w...ell'', Bree started with a stammer,'' that is good to know. But how on earth did she manage securing a full scholarship into Pristine?''

'' She worked hard. Got a high score, the board of directors were quite impressed and so it just happened'' mom replied with pride as she put a fork of her salad into her mouth.

Mrs. Bree was quiet for a while, we all observed her, I and my older siblings. She was seething. Her own children weren't as accomplished compared to us in anyway. Lexi is an aspiring interior decorator and furniture designer, she attended the University right in emperor city, Dylan is a darn good computer technician despite he is still in college and I, well am the bookworm. I aspire to become a journalist or a novelist or an advertising agent.

Am confused but am still going to work hard. Mrs. Bree's children on the other hand are... just being  who they are. The twins are still in their final year of high school and plan to take up anything they can do solely for the purpose of making money, Tom on the other hand; the youngest is a great musician but his parents or rather his mother offers him no support at all. He is my friend and I encourage him.

'' But Phoebe, what do you want to do after high school?'' Mrs.Bree asked me. I paused for a second. I dreaded that question. I felt mom's gaze bore through me. I coughed slightly and cleared my throat. Lexi offered me a cup of water while bearing an apologetic expression, I gladly took the cup of water but I knew mom would certainly disapprove of this little act of mine.

I and mom had always contended over what I'd do after school. I wanted to study sth that i love but mom wanted me to become a diplomat, ''It'd do you much good child. You can travel and meet new people and at the same time acquire very vast experience that will go a long way in molding you into a better writer, a better journalist and a better you in general.'' she had said. In my heart i knew she was right but i could not help but feel that her personal gain was involved. All the same, I did not want to disappoint her.

 I swallowed before turning to Mrs. Carlyle. In a tone I hoped was convincing, I replied '' I hope to become a diplomat.''

"Then you must be good with people." she assumed. I purposefully nodded. In truth, I am good with people when I am not confronted with them face-to-face. You can say am one of those mystery advisors you encounter on the internet and i choose to stay that way. Knowing that my advise, counseling and predictions help people makes me content. I really hate being in the spotlight, its not that i hate the spotlight but there are things you do for others not for the reward but to simply feel good about yourself and those things should be known to you alone. That is just what I believe anyway.

 Mom seemed pleased and dinner went on ahead smoothly. Shortly after dinner while the parents were still chatting, all six of us, the kids went onto the patio and tried stirring up a conversation but as expected, the twins were being assholes. But we still continued to try and when we hoped we had made a break through, Cara, the girl twin monopolized the conversation. She kept on talking so fast that she did not even notice everyone zone out and drop sarcastic comments. I could not believe that anyone could be sooo self absorbed.

   '' ...and I know that you may not believe me but i have a friend who is an enabled." Cara continued.

"Is that so?'' Lexi inquired feigning interest. I know Alexis, or Lexi as we all call her and she wouldn't care less about such things especially coming from a source such as Cara.

Let me explain a little something at this point. The world I live in is different. Now, about 7 decades ago, an unknown cloud believed to be brought upon earth from outer space had hovered above. It had caused a series of mishaps.

There were sudden tornadoes, earthquakes, landslides, explosions among others. No one understood what was going on except it could be caused by this thick expansive cloud hovering above. Scientists had gone to work trying to bring up a solution to this dire situation, they had eventually ran a series of experiments before coming to a conclusion that it was apocalypse. In other words, the world was doomed and there was no way out.

Soon after that, electricity went out, telephones stopped working, hospitals shut down, business establishments could no longer run, it was just sheer chaos. Then the rains came, stretching from days to weeks. Supplies ran out, crime seemed to be on the increase, everyone strived to survive. The last day of the rain was the most dreadful. There were thunderclaps, lightning and terrible windstorms. It was pitch black.

Eventually, everything abruptly ended just like it started, with no warning at all. There was a lot of damage incurred on the planet though it was worse in certain regions, people started rebuilding their cities and towns and small villages but there was yet a mystery to unfold. Certain people soon noticed they had these powers, abilities and as much as it excited them, it scared them. Those who got these abilities were referred to as the enabled  while those who didn't remained normal, regular, whatever you choose to call them.

The point is that our world has become so much more interesting ever since. Over the last two decades, schools has been established specially for the enabled, these schools are noted to be more sophisticated than our regular schools and attending them goes a long way to set you for life. But regulars like myself also stand a chance just as I got into Pristine on merit and I plan to take full advantage of the opportunity. The enabled can be special depending on their abilities and most of them live in a higher society compared to us but our laws keep us equal, that is why my dad works as a government official and in all honesty, we've never lacked. Anyways, that is that.

"Yeah, her name is Cara just like me and um... she possesses telekinesis." Cara said uncertainly.

"wow!"Lexi said with no hint of excitement at all in her voice. "so, how does this work?" Cara began to explain but I zoned out but a hand on the small of my back jolted me back to earth. I spun to the person responsible and it was none other than Chris, the male twin. I exhaled.

"You startled me." I said quietly as I put a hand on my chest.

He grinned and winked at me. Now, Chris is attractive but this guy bullied me in my growing up years simply because I was a nerd and on our rare family dinners, we've kept our distance and so, his whole  flirtatiousness is just.... creepy.

I blinked. Again and again to make sure. Chris was still beside me alright and grinning like a child who just got his favorite candy handed to him. I sighed. I had to. "Chris, what are you doing?" I asked

He shrugged. "Trying to chat. I mean, don't you want to chat with me?" Like that is normal. I crossed my arms across my chest and stared at Chris as though he had grown two heads. "why are you staring at me like that?"Chris asked. I didn't answer, instead I peered at him and around him painstakingly.

"hey, why are you acting weird?" Chris asked. I gaped at him

"Seriously? Am the weird one? You are being the weird one. Since when did you become all nice and chatty toward me? I mean, who are you and what have you done to Chris Carlyle?" I was flummoxed at this point. Chris' features softened. Yes, softened. I had just ranted off like a mad woman and Chris was not trying to murder me. Instead, he looked guilty!

I tried moving back but he took a hold of my left wrist and looking up with pleading eyes asked me to hear him out. As uncomfortable as i was, i decided to.

"... I didn't know better when we were younger but now I see you all grown up, dressed up and set for life, I realize that I was such an idiot. Am sorry." he said and if that was supposed to make me feel anything, it just didn't. I looked for the right words to say but nothing came.

"Hey kids, lets head back home. We are done here." I heard Mr. Ronald Carlyle say. And that was how I was saved. We saw them off to the door and bid them a good night. Chris mouthed sth I didn't get but I nodded in response anyway. After they left, we all changed into our night wears and tidied up before a short night prayer and everyone went off to bed. I pulled off my glasses and placed them beside me, on the nightstand. I turned off my bedside lamp but I couldn't fall asleep. I thought of what Chris said about me growing up.

 Only two years ago, I was this chubby five foot three kid with braces and black-rimmed square spectacles but in a year, I'd grown four inches taller, taken off the braces and replaced my creepy spectacles with classics and sometimes, contacts. All my chubbiness had naturally gone as well, sometimes i look at my face and wonder when it got all smooth and lean. But am thankful all the same.

I wondered about other things as well. How would Pristine be like? Would I make friends or simply stand out and be on my own as I've been a couple of other times. I sighed. The thought alone made me scared but I had to trust and believe. Who knows, it just might be the best time of my life.

This is it. My grand opening( chuckles). It may not be so good but I think I have a good story line going. So, please, comment and... I wouldn't make you vote if you don't want to but please, comment. Thank you. This chapter is unedited. And I hope this would be my shortest chapter