Chapter 3 Scholarship

Seconds had passed, but I couldn’t stop myself from reading the note over and over again, wondering what he meant by saying he’d pay me back. How? I have absolutely no idea who he is.

Glancing at the note one more time, I lifted my eyes to the wall clock to check the time. It was an hour and a few minutes till the clock hit six am, making me wonder what time he left.

The back door was unlocked when I checked it, hinting he had gone out from there. So, he's definitely no magician, but I still had questions which I needed him to answer. He probably knew I did and that’s why he left while I was asleep. Sly fox.

When the clock chimed six am, I knew I had to get all this behind me. He’s gone now, and I still have my life to live. Not to mention that I had to get to work in thirty minutes. The thought of that alone was enough to get my feet moving.

As quickly as I could, I had my bath, put on the first thing I saw in my wardrobe and headed out to my rusty bike. It let out a skin-crawling noise anytime I switched on the ignition, but for now, it was all I could afford.

After my adopted father passed away two years ago, I made it a point of my duty to fend for myself and help by providing any way I could. I juggled two part-time jobs so I could get enough money to cater for myself, send a little home, and see myself through college.

I concluded my freshman year about two months ago, under a partial scholarship at a local college here in town, but I had applied for a transfer to Obsidian college, one of the country’s most prestigious universities, under another scholarship.

It’s a very competitive program and only three students make it in each year. Last year, my name wasn’t on the list and, honestly, I doubt it’d be this year.

The only reason I applied this year was because my mum told me to try again. She had said something about dreaming I got in or something like that.

Fifteen minutes was the length of time it took for me to get to my first job of the day where I worked as a cashier at a restaurant. I worked from eight in the morning till two in the afternoon and, after a one-hour break, I’m expected to be at the bar where I work as a waiter till nine. The reason I got here by seven is because I took on the task of cleaning up the place so I could get a little extra money.

School is resuming next week and I need all the money I can get because once I go back, I'll have to pause working for a while to catch up on studying.

While on my fifteen-minute break, I received an email and when I clicked on it, shock sent my eyes flying wide.

I got the scholarship! A scream tore past my lips faster than I could realize it, but I quickly clasped my hand over my mouth and let out my excitement by jumping.

My coworkers were staring at me like I had lost it and I didn’t care. This is huge. I continued reading the content of the message and paused when it said I’d need to appear at school a few days before the session resumed. It resumes on Monday– this coming Monday, and today is Friday, which means… I have to be there tomorrow.

It was as though someone poured a bucket of cold water, no ice, over me. The excitement was quickly replaced with a sense of urgency. I quickly grabbed my little purse and ran out of the building.

“Vania! Where the fuck are you going?” one of my coworkers called out to me as I approached the door.

I paused by the door and turned to face her.

“I got a scholarship,” I screamed in response and headed out back to my bike, but when I tried to start it, it refused to come on. Frustrated, I hit the dashboard hard and tried again. Thankfully, it started this time.

I wasted no time in hitting the road, just one destination in mind– my apartment. Two of my coworkers were shouting my name behind me, but I ignored them. The few dollars I’d be paid isn’t worth the scholarship.

It was already a bit past noon. I had thought I’d pack up for school on Sunday afternoon and check in that evening since it wasn’t so far from here, but now, plan’s changed.

Obsidian college is in the city, about a three to four hours drive from here, and I haven’t even packed anything yet.

Immediately, my bike came to a stop in front of the apartment building, I remembered I hadn’t informed my mum about this yet. Though she was my adopted mother, she took me as her own child, just like Sylvania, her late daughter and my namesake. She had told me that is bearing the same name wasn’t a coincidence, it was an orchestration by the divine to heal her broken heart.

I dialed her number while opening the door, and she picked up after one ring. Before she could say a word, I screamed, “Mum, I got the scholarship!”

Silence stretched for a few seconds before she broke it with a childlike scream that had me pull my phone from my ear, laughing so hard till tears dropped from my eyes.

“Oh my God, I knew it! I just said that this was your year,” she said, squealing like a child.

This was one of the things I loved about her. Her ability to remain cheerful, even after the blows life threw at her. It inspired me.

“Yeah, but I need to get there today and I don’t have anything packed.”

“Today? Just when I thought we’d come see you off,” she said, disappointment coloring her tone.

“It’s okay, Mum. I'll call you when I get there. I have to pack up now and catch the train,” I said, throwing open my suit case.

“Alright, sweetie. Be careful and don’t forget to call me. Love you.”

“I will be. Love you too,” I responded with a smile on my lips.

As soon as I ended the call, I began grabbing everything I could see and stuffing in the box. It almost didn’t fit, but I forced everything close.

A thought skidded through my mind, reminding me that I had yet to grab my mother’s book. I hurried to the loose board I had hidden it under and pulled it open. This book of lore was the only thing I had about my biological mother, who I never got the chance to meet, and it meant the world to me, even though I didn’t want it to.

I hated my mum for years, blaming her for leaving me in the hands of my psychopathic father, but as I grew up, I understood why she did. She needed to save herself from him, but was probably not able to carry me along. Maybe she thought I would fare better with him. I didn’t.

Tucking the book into my tote bag, I rose to my feet. I had no plans to change out from the plain tee-shirt and cargo pants I was putting on, so I simply grabbed the suitcase and pulled it behind me, out of the apartment.

I kept the key beneath the footmat for the old homeowner and hurried out of the building to find a bus that’d take me to the train station.

After over four grueling hours of jumping trains and boarding cabs, I finally arrived in the imperial city of San Jose. The environs as I drove by were a vibrant contrast to the humble suburbs I’m used to. Sky rose buildings that looked to reflect light brighter than the sun stretched out in front of me.

We drove into a part of the city surrounded by trees for miles, and just as I began to wonder how much more green I’d have to see, I saw it. The gates of Obsidian college, standing unmistakably tall in the distance.

“We’re here,” the driver announced, coming to a stop a few meters from the gates.

Twilight rippled through the sky, but the stars were bright enough to illuminate the night.

I paid him and made my way down. After getting my luggage from the trunk, he drove away almost immediately, leaving just me standing on the opposite side of the road. A few exotic cars came to a stop beside the gate and some people, who I assume to be students, stepped out, their doors being held by chauffeurs.

They all looked like they were born from royalty with the way they held their heads high that it made my self-esteem take a dive a cliff and I began to question why I was here in the first place. The gate slid open, permitting them and the men holding their luggage access into the compound.

I waited for the gate to close behind them before crossing the road. Standing in front of the gate, I couldn’t but admire the artwork etched in its age-long skin. It almost resembled a tapestry telling its own story from the few images I could decipher from it, but before I could piece anything together, the hinges cracked, and it slid open for me.

Breathing almost became a chore at the sight that greeted me. It was as though I had just stepped into another reality.

Out of the blue, I felt a hand clamp down on my shoulder and the figure I saw behind me when I turned around set me recoiling a few steps.