Morgan always used the open road of the outskirts once he had descended from the Mhike estate, a path he preferred as it offered him a view of the plush greens of the country side and blues of the vast ocean. It was always a therapeutic moment for him. The journey to St. Calteco high took about 22minutes, a route that Morgan was all too familiar with during the days when he drove Tendai to school. Those memorable moments were cut short as soon as his regular passenger attained a Ford GT40 for his 16th birthday, a gift from his mother, which had rather negative effects. Tendai's reputation as the bad boy of the Mhike family soon escalated into unsavoury levels as he traversed the plains, plundering the loins of thirsty girls. Mr. Moses Mhike, Kudzai's father, always despised spoiling his children for in the end it cultivated irresponsible behaviour. Though Tendai had some exceptional achievements in the sporting arena and educational department, his defiance was a stake to his father's heart and also added a fire to Kudzai's blind admiration for his brother. His father ended up blaming his and the institution he learnt at for his lewd and deplorable demeanour. This was why Kudzai didn't get a glimpse of his brother's exploits in the prior year for he had enrolled him to a different school for form 1. He would end up hearing all about the nasty and awesome exploits of his brother upon arriving at St. Calteco high.
At Heyzafolt, the boys' school that Kudzai had attended in the previous year before his expulsion in the 3rd term of study, he had many violent experiences. It had been an initiative of his father's micromanagement beliefs for his son to attend an all-boys school. He didn't want Kudzai to assimilate his brother's notoriety and believed that going to an all-boys boarding school would encourage discipline and chastity. "The skirts and girls! Boys these days need to focus on the goal and not miss the plot!" were his iterations on a regular basis. Kudzai who feared his father did not object to this decision to go to Heyzafolt. A decision that proved troublesome throughout his experiences as a form 1 student in the school.
Seniority and rich tradition was what reigned in the institution of Heyzafolt, but it was an environment that soon proved to be incompatible for Kudzai. Kudzai was an overt and self-preserving youth who did not oblige to subjugating to seniors over trivial reasons. As such, he had several confrontations with seniors that always had him ending the fights with a knock out. In the world of Reverie, it was clear that the Tamerians were segmented into those who could innately be tamers, those who had to be trained to unlock the full potential of such power and the normal human beings that could at best tame domestic animals. Kudzai came from a family line of natural tamers and was thus a superhuman amongst his peers. The rulers of the 5 federations of Tameria were mostly tamers and this military strength was essential in keeping the utopia of humanity. However, Kudzai didn't make his genetic gift known to the others for he didn't want the attention that came from having such noble blood. He simply wanted to be treated like everybody else. This particular omitted information made the seniors prey on him not knowing that they were going to get humiliated by the thrashing of a youngster. Apart from concealing valuable information about his innate abilities, a consensus amongst most rich kids in boarding school was that whoever your parents were was not important. All these kids had at least a parent or guardian who was affluent, imposing and had some form of influence in the world of Reverie. Kudzai could have spouted about his father being a Vice Admiral in the navy and even if he didn't, everyone would eventually know but that didn't mean he would be subject to immunity in the school. After 2 terms, they realized he was bad news and left him alone, but the school administration had him on a list of possible expulsion. The breaking point that had him packing was when he punched Billy Chitsinde in the face, using 50% of his brute strength. This was something he never did even when confronted by the seniors who thrived on bullying and inscribing fear into the junior's hearts. The percentage of ferocity he used on the seniors was 10%, which would lead one to wonder what exactly did Billy say to Kudzai? On that rainy night, in the boy's dormitory, Billy, the opinionated, self-deluded narcissistic classmate of Kudzai provoked him.
"Kudzai you little shit! You think you're better than us because you can do whatever the hell you want? Your rebel antics are worthless and you're killing the school! Just because your daddy spoils you it doesn't make you any better than us. That silver spoon you get from your father is crap here!"
Billy had not prepared for the consequences of such an utterance. The raging fist that came at him was like a rocking ball decimating an infant upon collision. Billy landed far away from Kudzai, smashing into the wall before him. The other boys woke up immediately upon hearing the cacophony of a smash. Billy had been knocked out cold with a nose bleed and a serious bruise that looked like a pink and purple oasis on a desert of white skin. Everyone was somehow bewildered, but at the same time happy that the annoying prick known as Billy Chitsinde was pummelled by the school's most feared junior. In that moment they all uttered amongst themselves, “Kudzai takes out the trash once again." This obviously had awarded him respect amongst his peers, but giving a boy a concussion was the last mark he left at Heyzafolt. He was expelled abruptly. This as predicted drove his father into a manic state. A heavy beating was issued on him, not as brutal as the others were, but still worthy for his stock of bad memories. Tendai was also disappointed since he really didn't want his brother to get into trouble. A lecture on controlling one's emotions and keeping your cool was delivered to him in a lengthy 2hours brotherly chat. That was a very grave and confusing time for the Mhike family. His little sister Barbara took the opportunity to jeer her brother in his moment of shame. In the end the time he spent at Heyzafolt ended to facilitate his life at St. Calteco high. He had made the under 14 basketball team, fencing team and athletics team, but yet none of that mattered to him. He was moving on and so the past had to be effaced from the recesses of his mind. In retrospect, he admitted to himself that he was a controversial student who didn't want to comply with the norms of a school that was well established before his existence. So what drove him to behave in such a manner? Was it arrogance or a sense of invincibility that came from being a tamer? The truth that Kudzai wanted to seek for himself was clear as day, 'he didn't want to be anyone's bitch for he was already his father's bitch.' Unlike many children who internalized abuse from multiple sources, Kudzai could only endure one, his father. He feared his father and only his father, everyone else to him seemed like a pebble in the sea. To incorporate others was not part of his ethics. Surely he could have complied like the others and had a good laugh in the future as most seniors did, reflecting on their horrible time as juniors, but monotony was not in his life's coordinates. Life had carved out another path for him.
Morgan turned into the bypass, drove past the overpass and then made a right turn, which was the wonderful boulevard that led to the school. The institution was in full view and Kudzai who was sitting next to Morgan could not help but marvel at it. This was his first time seeing the neatly trimmed lawn with sprinklers actively doing their job and flamboyant decor on the walls, of an institution his brother had gone through. In that instance, he couldn't help saying, "This looks like fun." The school entrance was segmented by a line-up of fountains that led to the school car park or preferably known as drop off zone. The school crest, which had a phoenix grasping a sceptre and encompassing vines with stars, looked dazzling. As Morgan passed through the gate, the scope of the school became more larger than life. The architecture was phenomenal, with English bond style of bricks on the walls. Multiple windows on the top floors that looked like the sliding type and air conditioners, which were common commodities in the institution. Each building had clearly highlighted typography, which gave away the purpose of each facility. The music building had corny font that gave the impression that it was a conglomeration for eccentric youth. However, what was the most spellbinding thing was the line-up of parked cars in the car park. A Zenvo ST1, Ferrari LA Ferrari, Aston Martin one-77, Ferrari F60, Lamborghini Veneno, McLaren F1 and P1, Ferrari Enzo and many more. These vehicles were most probably the rides of the seniors who had the privileges only available to the 5th and 6th forms. The fact that vintage gems like the Chevrolet Corvette L88, Chevy Camaro ZL-1 and Plymouth Hemi Barracuda were even there shocked Kudzai. It was like the season premiere of Top gear. What Kudzai had not realised was that the Jaguar XJ220 and Porsche 918 Spyder were owned by the Principle and Vice Principle respectively. This was a different environment compared to the prison of Heyzafolt or at least his first impressions of the school gave him a vibe of fun. As other cars came in to drop off other kids, the influx of grey and blue colours became prevalent in the path that led to the hall way of the school. Mr. Freed had parked the phantom and then addressed Kudzai, "Master Kudzai, we have arrived. It would be good if you joined the others..."
"Mr. Freed, what is your take on this school?" he asked, interjecting without a care for disembarking immediately. Morgan was surprised by this interjection and the question that came with it. He thus quickly articulated his thoughts to sum up the best possible answer.
"This school is a good institution and also one that seems to be ripe with a jovial atmosphere. If I were to surmise it accurately, it’s a school that always had Master Tendai coming back with a smile." Those words inadvertently made Kudzai grin, a very lively grin at best. If it had made his brother happy it would also make him happy, this was always his daily reasoning. Kudzai eventually disembarked, taking his satchel along as he waved goodbye. Morgan was happy that the young master was being optimistic and at least could leave assured that all was well. Kudzai ventured into the crowd of students to quickly identify the environment ahead. Due to observation skills that he acquired from one of the patrol men back home, he easily distinguished the multiple cliques. The cool kids, ambiguous types, controversial types (it takes one to know one), jocks, preps, hipsters, artists and musicians. The audible group conversations amongst the girls about the tourist resorts they had travelled to, the exotic fashion they had tried on and who was dating or sleeping with who was all in their dialogue. Why they were so audible to the point he could hear them made him question their understanding of the concept of discretion. Nevertheless, he would have to learn to adapt from being at an all-boys school to being at a mixed school. His watch suddenly began to beep, something that usually occurred when someone was calling him. Kudzai pulled down the sleeve of his blazer and tapped the 'swipe to receive pop up' to access the call. A holographic image of a mid-thirties woman, with a petite build, glasses and medium sized breasts appeared just above the screen of his watch. It hovered on top of his wrist and began to speak, " Mr. Mhike would you immediately come to the Winston foyer for your briefing." The voice of the woman was sharp and authoritative, demanding his full attention. Kudzai thus replied, "I am on my way mam."
"Get here quickly. Assembly will start in the next 20minutes. As it is your first day, I expect a young gentleman as yourself to make a good first impression. To avoid difficulty in finding me, please use the school map that has been posted on the main office walls or ask one of the students within reach to direct you."
The holographic image of the woman quickly dissipated, leaving his touch screen watch with the time, date, battery and applications tabs all visible on the interface's dash board. Kudzai initially opted to check the map, but having noticed the imperative nature of the woman's remarks he decided to ask someone nearby. He then glanced at a girl who was walking with her female friend. The girl was of Asian descent, medium height, a small round face, typical almond Japanese eyes, black stud leather hair clip at the back of her silky hair and a slender body. She had a noticeable bust, which Kudzai had viewed, but rather than entertain the raging hormones of a teenage boy, he quickly tapped her shoulder and said, "Hie there, um Kudzai and I just transferred here to this school."
The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
"Oh... hie, um nice to meet you..." she said, kind of surprised at the way he had approached her. Her friend also waved at him saying hie as well. They were in the same form. Kudzai went on to say, "There is this inventory stuff I have to go through at the Winston foyer. I was wondering if you could please give me directions to the place."
The young Asian girl known as Meiko Kuruno was initially overcome with shyness, but with the subtle elbow nudging of her friend, Meiko ended up escorting Kudzai to the foyer. Kudzai though primarily focused on getting to his desired destination could not help but notice the stunning figure beside him. He even mentally scaled her beauty objectively and based on his assessment, she fell into the 6.5/10 bound, which by his brother's standards was smash material. Meiko who began to feel awkward in the silence of just guiding Kudzai decided to break the silence by asking a question.
"Um by the way my name is Meiko."
"Huh?" he said, being absent minded at the time she had uttered.
"Um telling you my name since you told me yours."
"Oh ...that's a nice name." he said, not sure what to say next.
"So you said you transferred from another school right? So what made you leave?"
"I was tired of being surrounded by dicks." he said as a result of an involuntary action which drove him into bad mouthing his former school.
"Ahem...surrounded by dicks?" she asked, shocked by his audacity to say such words.
"I was at a boy's school. It sucked because there weren't any pretty girls like you."
"Really now," she said, shrugging off the flirt, "and you somehow decided to come here to compensate for your thirst. Well that line was too soon buddy." An epic fail had dawned on Kudzai, but he decided to have a comeback which would save him from further more humiliation.
"Well I will admit that being in the band of brothers for so long has given me thirst, but out of the wilderness where I have come from, I have witnessed a rare gem. Only one as parched as me can be quenched by your looks."
At that moment, the evasiveness of Meiko quickly diminished. The word play she had taken in had captivated her senses, delving into her more sensual innermost core. She could not help but blush and she caved in immediately after hearing those words. Unfortunately, for him, he had reached the foyer and at the back of his mind, his victory, which had been sweet, had been short lived. She glowed at him and said, "We are here now, hopefully we will be in the same class, I figured that you're in form 2 or am I wrong?"
"All I will say is that female intuition is never wrong."
"Thriving on word play I see, well see you later." Meiko said as she turned, heading for the hall. Meiko didn't let on about her sudden infatuation for the boy she had just met. Was it the noticeable broad shoulders for someone as young as him or the fact that he was so confident regardless of the fact that he was still in unfamiliar territory. She had a guilty pleasure for liking ebony romance novels, a fetish that she had to keep to herself. Kudzai had stumbled upon this gorgeous creature by chance; any other girl or guy could have given him directions. This was a meaningful encounter that he would surely get to enjoy in the near future.
Orientation with the teacher went well with him being placed in the class 2B1. There were 5 classes in the 1st form up to the 4th form; the 5th and 6th forms only had four, which specialized in a particular aspect of study. After the orientation, he went for assembly. The hall looked like a platform for an opera house. The bottom seats were flooded by the juniors with the first formers in front with the gradation ending with the form 4s. The top seats were occupied by the seniors who had a more stylistic uniform that made them distinguishable from the rest of the school. They had the same uniform his brother wore during his school days. Kudzai tried to spot Meiko in the crowd, but unfortunately, where he was sitting had visibility at certain vantage points. The guy seated next to him was engrossed in his mobile phone game. Kudzai wanted to make friends quickly during assembly, but it seemed the one sitting next to him was too engrossed in his video game to make time for small talk. Kudzai's motivation to make first contact ended with him being sullen in silence. The assembly had the usual singing of hymns, which always explained why the hymn book was issued as part of the necessary essentials of the school uniform. After the singing, everyone would sit down and then rise again to greet the headmaster of the school as soon as he would walk onto the stage. The stage had chairs that all the teachers of the school were sitting on. The students and the teachers were facing each other at opposite ends. The headmaster was a plump bald man with glasses. His face had many lines that articulated his middle age. He was wearing a plaid blue and white striped blazer, a black turtle neck shirt, expensive watch, trousers and strap tap loafers. He began to talk about the success of the past and what plans he had for the school for the year. At that moment, Kudzai stopped paying attention, having no interest since all what the headmaster had to say was foreign to his ears. He instead took the time to look at the students around him, particularly the girls and the seniors. The girls ranged from average to Victoria's secret supermodel levels. The older girls were extremely pretty and generally, almost every other girl who Kudzai could see was enticing to the eyes. However, he wanted to blot out any thoughts of philandering and rather wanted to think about Meiko. Kudzai also noticed the athletic seniors who had bunched up at a certain corner. The douche bags, dicks and the boy scouts were all clear as day from his view. His hall gazing took up most of the time and ended up making the boring headmaster's speech seem non-existent. The assembly soon came to a close and the students were dismissed and headed off to their respective classrooms. Kudzai had been briefed by the woman earlier on about where to find his classroom and thus was not confused. As he ventured towards his classroom, he still wondered where Meiko was. His infatuation for her was slowly building up the more she became elusive.
"My name is Kudzai Tyreese Mhike, I am a transfer from Heyzafolt high. My favourite sports are basketball and fencing. My career choice is to become a well renowned film maker." Kudzai uttered this in class. Upon arrival, he was told to remain standing by his teacher, pondering over why he had to remain stationary as his classmates filled up the seats in the room. This was a prerequisite before he had to sit with the others, commencing day one of learning. The classroom was quite well furbished with the slide glass windows and commendable interior design. The board was actually a giant LCD screen with a touch surface interface. There was a speaker at the far top right corner of the room's ceiling that was most probably for announcements and also as an alternative school bell. His new classmates were all gazing at him curiously, trying to find out subtle things about their new member. What made them all attentive was when they heard him state his surname. The surname 'Mhike' evoked a lot of things: awe, respect and jealousy. As soon as he sat down at his desk, he was probed with many questions. Kudzai sat at the back row, which had his first interrogators, Jonathan and Lisa sitting beside him. Jonathan was a nerd with a fairly masculine appearance. His stocky build however did not deter his nerd like aura. He had short hair, a long face and milky eyes. Lisa was an average looking specimen with blonde hair, oblong face and a curly bob cut hair style. The questions he was asked were mostly about whether he was related to Tendai Mhike. His brother, from what he noticed from the questions, was a celebrity. Lisa and Jonathan were no longer the only interrogators; everyone was now bombarding him with a plethora of questions. The two people who stood out from the rest of his 19 classmates were a girl called Melissa Keaton and a Korean guy called Neo Jo Yeun. Melissa was odd or at least he could see through her facade. Something about her made him feel uncertain. She asked questions but used her syllables in a man that she ended up creating a coded message, which after a mental deciphering were the words 'See me after school at the courts.' The fact that she had used a method he had learnt from his brother made him think that this wasn't a coincidence. As it was his first day at this school, he did not want to pursue the idea lest he would end up being slapped for exhibiting weird behaviour such as asking whether she spoke in code. Neo on the other hand reminded him of himself. He was the only tense guy in the room when he got into class. His tough guy vibe, physique and aura of unapproachability were easily noticed. Kudzai recognized this and knew that Neo was the scary guy in the class. The questions soon ended with the teacher now commencing the lessons. The day went on to be packed with lesson after lesson. Break time only lasted 15minutes, which were mostly more interviews for Kudzai. They asked him what his brother was up to and told him how cool he was before he had graduated from high school. Kudzai unfortunately had to entertain his classmates so that he could catch up with the ways of St. Calteco high, even though his mind was fast pressed over the thought of Meiko and which class she was in. The school cafeteria that had ended up being his last resort to fleeing from his classmates had him bump into a hot senior. During the queue for the food, which was similar to that of buying goods at a regular take away outlet, he was graced by the presence of Emerald Blake. Emerald Blake was a girl who was clearly out of his league, graced with a jaw dropping figure that could have instinctively made the boy drool. Surprisingly she made first contact and took the young teen by surprise.
"Last minute meals are a senior's privilege little boy. It’s funny how you look like your brother. It’s really cute."
"Seems like my brother is bigger than I expected." he said, puzzled by whether cute was just an innocent remark or something within the bounds of cougar territory.
"Well my name is Emerald. Emerald Blake. Anytime you want to know more about your brother you can find me at the art block." she said, blowing an invisible kiss and walking on ahead. Kudzai's first impressions of the school were just full of surprise after surprise. Emerald's alluring invitation had made his day. After break, he would have to return for his history, mathematics and geography lessons. History and mathematics were his forte, but he despised geography with a relentless passion, an attitude problem that landed him with a lifelong tutor. Kudzai realized that the cafeteria was now becoming empty and decided to devour his food quickly, then suddenly a hand grabbed his shoulder and a firm grip it had indeed. He recognized the face of the person from one of his brother's tennis and rugby team photos and realized that it was his brother’s junior, Matthew Logan. Matthew was a brawny guy with broad shoulders and a well sculpted body. His picturesque face, squint eyes, pulled back curly hair with long side burns made him look like a candidate for a Hugh Jackman Wolverine look alike. The bass of his voice also came as a startling shocker.
"Hey kid, you're Tendai's kid bro right?"
"Yes.” he said, wondering if he was in trouble or not.
"Well you should finish your meal and get to class... by the way, after school come and see me at the tennis ball courts, I want to show you the VR room."
"Wait this school has a VR room?" completely ignoring the order to go for his lesson.
"Yes and when you're done with school come to the tennis ball courts alone. Your brother was my rival when it came to VR, so let's see if the skills run in the family."
Matthew departed and left Kudzai who was finishing off his food. VR was a Tamerian Virtual Reality simulation game that was common in the military barracks. VR was designed to simulate belligerent conflicts with an Animorph. This game helped internalize the belief that the Animorphs were Tamerian’s natural enemy. However, in times of peace, the game was slowly being put into the category of optional training, for there was no need for every soldier to partake in the Animorph killing session. The fact that this game, which was commonly found in military institutions, was in the school made the school seem more mysterious. The resources to have such a facility built and maintained was expensive, however there is no way a private school would have such a facility. This is something that would be expected at a top tier military school. From the time he got here it was an encounter with a beautiful girl, estranged students from his class and a possible freak by the name of Emerald Blake. Kudzai could now clearly see why this school made his brother smile as Morgan had stated, because it was darn interesting!