But I should be happy, right? My father was no longer too keen on hiding the fact that I was his daughter.

❦︎

~[VICTORIA]~

Two weeks since I moved to Lagos and I had been nothing but restless, nervous and listless. Everyday, I'd wake up wishing that I could somehow rewind time to two months ago, when things were not as complicated as they are now.

And the reason for my restlessness and useless wishes all boiled down to one thing.

Sage High.

I had spent hours of many days doing research on that school, taking note of every bit of information I could find. I needed to know as much as I could about the school. Asides our yearly clashes at The Nationals, I knew absolutely nothing about the school.

I did not think that adapting to life in Lagos would be easy. If anything, I really wanted to return to Abuja. But considering the events that had happened in the last two months, neither my father nor I could stay in Abuja and still keep our mental health intact... the memories it held were not pleasant ones to remember.

It was much more easier moving to another state than face the constant reminder of what I did to my own mother.

That was why when Dad proposed that we move to Lagos, I did not protest in the least. But now, we were in Lagos and out of all schools in the state, Dad had to pick Sage High.

Sage High was known for it's standard across the continent. It had always been a major contender for my former school at Abuja - St. Louis International, popularly known as SLI. Academic wise or sports wise, both schools always clashed. And that one reason terrified me.

The students of SLI and SH never saw eye to eye. Being one of the best students from SLI, I had competed against SH many times in the past, building the enmity between both schools. A baseless enmity, if I may add.

And now, I had to become one of their students, I had to be part of them.

But the dreaded day has finally arrived, today is the day that I would officially become a student of SH.

Oh, what I would give to turn into dust right now.

I stood before my full length mirror, fervently trying to encourage myself to take on the day.

"You've got this," I said aloud, coaching myself. Scanning my reflection, I sucked in deep breaths in a bid to slow down my spiralling minds.

I was really about to enter the den of the enemy.

"You've got this," I repeated, desperately wanting to believe those words.

I raked my eyes over my figure in the full length mirror, cladded in a baggy, white tee over black, ripped jeans, finished off with black and white Nike Air Force 1s. My afro beautifully surrounded my head like the mane of a proud lion.

Catching my brown eyes in the mirror, I exhaled heavily, licked my plump lips. "You've.Got.This," If you were watching from afar, you'd think I was explaining something to a dumb child.

Nothing is going to go wrong, I internally said, forcing my legs to move. Slowly, I walked out of my closet, grabbed my black, Nike backpack and headed out of my room.

However it is, I'll face it. I don't know where it came from but new courage sparked in me, made me raise my head high and puff my chest. And within me, I concluded, I'm ready for today.

"Dad!" I called out. "I'm all set!"

"Give me a minute!" Dad yelled from his room which was just two doors away. "Just wait for me downstairs."

I walked down the flight of spiral stairs, wondering why Dad had to acquire such a large house for just the two of us. My hands slid down the cold, gold railing as I went down the black stairs one step at a time. I walked into the dining room and settled on one of the black chairs, grabbing a red apple from a bowl filled with fruits on the clear table. The wall clock told me that it was 6:40 a.m. Deciding that I still had enough time to have breakfast, I walked into the kitchen to heat up some of the food left over from the previous night for myself and Dad.

"Morning, Vicky." Dad greeted, jerking me; I did not hear him come into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Dad." I smiled as I turned back to see him all dressed up in a black suit and a grey button down, paired with a black tie and black shoes. His outfit did a great job in complementing his chocolate like skin. "Scared me for a second there."

He chuckled, his dark, brown eyes radiant. "You're always a scaredy cat."

"I'm not!" I protested, pouting.

He walked to me and ruffled my afro. "We both know you are."

"I'm not a dog, Dad." I giggled, taking his hand away from my hair. The microwave dinged and I informed him that, "I'll serve breakfast now."

"Okay." He leaned against the black and grey marble top in the middle of the kitchen and one of his legs crossed over the other by the ankle, over the white tiles.

I picked a white, ceramic, flat plate and dished some jollof rice onto it, placed a piece of turkey on top. I repeated the action and walked over to Dad with two plates of food in my hands.

"Thanks, baby." Dad said as he received the plate from me, placing it on the counter top behind him, he then turned and began to eat, still standing.

"Bad habit, Dad." I shook my head. "You shouldn't stand and eat."

He rolled his eyes. "Sorry, Mom."

I gasped dramatically, placing my hand on my chest. "You did not just-"

"I just did." He smirked, pushing aside his half eaten plate of food. He peeked at the plate of food in my hand that was still intact. "Finish up, you don't want to be late on your first day of school."

"Right." I agreed, eating as fast as I could, doing the exact same thing I told Dad not to do. I cleaned up when I finally finished my food and walked into the dining to pick up my bag where I left it.

"Let's get you to school." Dad threw a hand across my shoulder, making us walk side by side.

I looked up at him with squinted eyes, "You are taking me to school? What happened to nobody knowing-"

"I have everything settled already." He intercepted my speech, winked at me.

That's strange...

Under no circumstance did he ever let anyone suspect that I was his daughter. He hired people to do everything; take me to and from school, attend PTA meetings and Open days. Never did he give anything away that I was linked to him. Even our house was located in a secluded part of the estate, where there were barely neighbours to monitor us. Although, that didn't stop suspicions from arising and people never failed to express their minds on the internet, pointing out the fact we looked pretty much alike and we both shared the same last name. But Dad always debunked those 'rumours', saying that it was nothing more than a coincidence that we looked alike and any other person could have Kanayo as their last name.

So you'd understand why I was so surprised as to why he wanted to take me to school... out of the blue.

And as I thought of it, I realized that he had dropped his guard quite significantly since we moved to Lagos. Sometimes, he'd make us play at the backyard without caring that 'someone might secretly take a photo' as he usually did at Abuja.

I was already used to the drill, nobody must know that Kevin Kanayo and Victoria Kanayo are father and daughter. So, his sudden change in attitude flustered me.

But I should be happy, right? My father was no longer too keen on hiding the fact that I was his daughter.

You know, sometimes I thought it was that way because he was ashamed of me. But then, behind closed doors, he was the best father a girl could have. Believe me when I tell you that he treats me like a queen. Even from the adoration that always radiates from his eyes when he looks at me, I just knew it's not possible that my father was ashamed of me.

He must have had a good reason to hide my identity all these years. I'm worrying too much, with that conclusion, I ignored all the thoughts in my head. I should be happy that my father was gradually letting go.

We were already outside and I waited on the driveway while Dad drove his black Audi out of the garage. I got in the passenger seat as soon as he stopped in front of me, Michael Jackson's Liberian girl was already blasting through the speakers. I bobbed my head to the music as Dad maneuvered his way from the driveway into the streets of the estate.

We were silent, both of us enjoying the beat of Michael Jackson's music. Only the occasional sound of Dad's horrible singing was heard as he tried to beat the Lagos traffic that early Monday morning.

"Dad?" I finally broke the silence.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think I'll be comfortable in the new school?" I asked, peering at him.

"It depends," he shrugged. "Knowing you, it'll be hard to make new friends because of your introverted nature but you'll overcome in the end. You're my daughter after all." He leered.

I smiled. "Thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome." He grinned, briefly glancing at me.

The rest of the ride entailed comfortable silence, once again, focused MJ's track blasting from the speakers. After few minutes of driving, Dad drove through a huge, silver gate and parked in the parking lot, a few metres away from a building.

"We're here." Dad announced, looked at me. "Let's go."

Dad and I clambered out of the car and my jaw dropped to the floor at the sight before me, it was even more captivating than the online photos I found. To say the school was beautiful would be an understatement. It looked like-dare I say-a mini heaven. And I'd dare to say, it looked better than SLI.

Rose bushes surrounded each of the buildings and decorated the walkways on either side too, the floor was made of interlock blocks and they were kept tidy. At the top of what I assumed you be the administrative block, a group of letters sat there proudly, they read SAGE HIGH in bold, pink font to match the beige building. Other buildings were also lined on the path, sharing the same Beaux Arts architectural style and beige coloured walls. Certainly, they were academic blocks.

Nobody was outside. Definitely, the students were in class and the teachers were either in class or going about other businesses. Dad wouldn't be this comfortable if people were outside.

The feeling of Dad's hand engulfing mine brought me out of my shallow trance and I followed him into the administrative block, still enthralled.

"Good morning, Miss." Dad greeted the receptionist once we reached the front desk, the logo of the school which was a pink Phoenix against silver background was exhibited on it.

The woman looked to be in her early thirties. She was dressed in a white button down, a few buttons undone probably to show some cleavage. A tag name which read 'Sarah Deng' was attached to her shirt, over her left breast. She recognized Dad and I, I knew from the way she looked at us, but she looked at Dad with a sense of familiarity in her eyes.

"Good morning, Mr. Kevin." She replied Dad, smiling like every other receptionist I've met. Then she looked at me. "You're resuming today, I assume."

I nodded. "Yes."

"Is there anything I need to do, Sarah?" Dad asked, regaining her attention.

"Yes," She nodded. "You'll need to complete her enrollment process. I'll lead you to the principal's office. Please come with me."

Dad and I obliged, followed her down the hallway she walked into, her heels making loud sounds as they hit the white tiles, her hips swaying from side to side. She knocked on the door at the extreme end of the hallway and only opened it when a feminine voice gave permission for entrance.

"Miss Essien, the new student has just arrived. We just need to complete the enrollment process." We heard Sarah announce as we walked into the office, behind her.

"Okay..." The principal trailer off as she raised her head, her gaze was on... Dad.

I heard him gasp from behind me. "No way! Fiona!?"

"Kevin!" She stood up and walked out from behind her mahogany desk, revealing her broad hips cladded in a black, pencil skirt with a cream button down shirt tucked into it. "My goodness! It's been ages!"

She and Dad shared a hug as the receptionist and I watched them in confusion. They pulled out of the hug and shared a loud handshake.

"What are you doing here?" The principal, who had turned out to be Fiona, finally asked Dad.

"I'm the father of the new student she was telling you about." He nodded towards the receptionist who only smiled.

She looked at me, her smile broadening. "You look just like your Dad!" She walked to me, "Give me a hug!" And without warning, she enveloped me in her arms, tightly... way too tightly. She freed me after a few seconds and boy, was I grateful to have made it out alive.

"So the rumours are true?" She cocked a brow at Dad. He nodded, smirking.

She walked to her desk and dialed a number with telephone on her desk.

"Bisi? Come to my office right away." She ended the call, not giving the Bisi on the other end of the call the chance to even respond. She looked at me again, her smile still present on her face. "Hold on a little, someone is on their way to take you to your class. Your dad and I would complete the enrollment process."

I nodded. "Thank you, ma'am."

She playfully huffed, waving dismissively, "It's my job, I'm paid to do this."

I heard the door click open and I turned to see a short, plump lady walk through it. She looked like she was in her mid-twenties and she looked adorable in her black mom jeans and orange T-shirt paired with black sneakers. Her perfectly winged liner and her name tag that read 'Olabisi Coker' became more obvious as she walked closer. "You sent for me, ma."

"Yes." The principal gestured for me to come closer, I did. "Take her to SS3B."

"Okay ma." Bisi turned to me, a small smile on her face. "Come with me."

I followed her out of the office, back into the hallway which led us to the front desk.

Walking out of the administrative block, she turned to look at me. "Victoria, right?" She asked as we fell into step, side by side, walking along a walkway with rose bushes of different colours on either side of it.

"Yes. I assume you're Bisi, yeah?" I looked at her name tag briefly.

"Yes. This year's SS3 supervisor." She nodded. "You're new, so, if you need anything, you can come to me. You can find me in the office opposite the class I'm taking you to now."

"Thanks," I smiled warmly.

"It's okay." She said as we turned into the entrance of another block, entering into the hallway. "This is the SS3 block."

"It's nice." I said, honestly. The walls inside were beige, just outside and the floor was covered with clean, white tiles. It looked like a hall with a flight of stairs at the extreme end, white cornices railed the stairs. Looking up, I observed the beautiful, white and beige dome ceiling. These people even had a medium chandelier at the middle, I was dazzled watching the rays of white light glisten through the clear crystals. It took Bisi tapping me to realize that I had stopped to stare.

I trailed behind Bisi as she led me up the stairs to the first floor of the building. We walked past a door that had SS3A displayed on it and stopped in front of a door that had SS3B on it.

"This is your new class." Bisi looked me, grinning. "Don't worry, it'll be okay." She must have noticed how nervous I had gotten.

The fear I thought I had conquered made its appearance, suppressing my chest. I felt cold all if a sudden and I was seriously considering making for a run. But my feet seemed to have become lead as I stayed rooted where I stood.

She knocked on the door and my palms became sweaty and at the same time, my heart started beating faster. I wanted to turn back and run back home but it was too late for that, a student had already opened the door.

She was in a pink, long sleeved button down tucked into a navy blue flay skirt. Her legs were covered with long, black socks in a pair of wedge heels. A silver badge was placed on her perfectly knotted navy blue tie with 'SOCIAL PREFECT I' written on it, it caught the white light from the bulb in the ceiling, reminding me of my forfeited position as head girl from my former school.

"Good morning, miss B!" The girl chirped, grinning from ear to ear as she rocked on her feet. She was a little too excited, especially for a Monday morning.

She looked at me and I was sure she recognized me as much as I did her. She was the Tracy Adenuga, the head cheerleader of SH. She always attended all sporting events, she and her team cheered like they did not come to lose... but they always lost... to SLI.

To my surprise, the girl actually smiled at me. A broad, toothy smile. I was both alarmed and relaxed at her gesture but I wanted to stay positive. Breath, I told myself, taking deep breaths.

"Good morning, Tracy." Bisi beamed at the girl.

Tracy side stepped to let Bisi and I go in and I wondered why they treated their classroom like a home.

"Good morning, miss B!" The entire class chorused when Bisi and I walked in. The class was large, it had beige walls and white tiles just like the hall below with two large windows each on the walls, save for the one that had the electronic board on it.

The whole class was staring at me. Some were shocked and others were seriously glaring at me like I was the sole cause of all the misfortune they had experienced in their lives.

"Good morning, my babies." Bisi responded and I noticed some people roll their eyes while some seemed to like the idea of being her baby. She held me by my elbow and pulled me toward herself. "We have a new student," she gestured to me. "Please, introduce yourself."

Kill me now.

I suddenly felt the urge to punch her in the face, was all that really necessary? Sadly, I was not bold enough to do what was on my mind, so I had to give an introduction of myself.

"My name is Victoria and I just moved from Abuja..." I trailed off, not knowing what else to say. I was sure no one was interested in hearing my autobiography on a Monday morning. Plus, they already knew who I was... their worst enemy from SLI.

"You're welcome, Victoria." Tracy, who was standing by the door, gave me a toothy smile. I found it weird that she was smiling that much, perhaps, that was part of the reasons she was considered for he post of social prefect. However, I smiled back, not wanting to seem rude.

"There's a vacant seat in this class, yeah?" Bisi inquired.

"Yes," Tracy responded. "The one beside me is free."

"Okay then. Victoria, go have your seat." Bisi told me before she turned to Tracy who was still standing by the door. "Tracy, take care of her."

I'm not a baby, I complained internally.

"Come!" Tracy beckoned me to follow her, a little to excited for someone I was just meeting. I followed her to the last row of the first column, at the back, the seat directly beside the wall. "This is your seat, right beside me."

I wasn't sure if I should be happy to seat near the girl who was getting weirder by each passing second. Nonetheless, I took my seat, murmuring my appreciation to her. She took her seat too and that was when I realized that I was stuck between the weird girl and the wall. I had never been more uncomfortable in my life.

"I can already tell we'll be great friends." She giggled, nudged my elbow. "And that you'll enjoy your time here."

"I hope so." I gave a tight-lipped smile. "I really hope so."

•
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A/N

So... you like?

Or not?

I feel like a narcissist for giving my character my own name lol.

And oh! Sorry about the length. I don't think there was any possible way to cut it.

Okay, so what do you think of Victoria? And do you think she'll survive in SH?

C'mon, share your thoughts 😌

Imma say it now, DO NOT GHOST READ! Voting and commenting doesn't kill, I promise. Try and see for yourself, boo.

I'll end this by saying thanks for your time! I really appreciate and I love you!♥️♥️♥️

Again, please vote♥️☺️.

Next update: Saturday/ Wednesday, 1pm.