Catching Elexis

Chapter 1

"Nothing ever goes as planned in this accursed world". I heard that statement from a movie or something; I couldn't quite remember the name. My parents, or should I say my dad, gave us the biggest news when I got back home from school that we were moving to another country.

ANOTHER COUNTRY!! It wasn't even on our continent and we were going to stay there for a very long time!

"Hurry up Elexis, you're going to be late for school" My mom said as she waited for me at the door with my other siblings.

"I'm coming, Ma" I said, taking my last sip of tea.

It happened to be my last day in Grade 11. I am turning 17 the following month. My younger siblings; David , Diana and Solomon were already sitting in the back of the car when I got into the passenger's seat.

David just turned 14 years some days ago, Diana is 8 years old and Solomon, my favorite sibling, is 4 years old. He is in kindergarten. We were in order: girl-boy, girl-boy and we loved the fact that we were even.

It is normal for our mom to take us to school every day instead of taking the bus. She saw it as a way to bond with us more, since my dad is always busy with work. Anytime we go out together, we get remarks like we look alike or if David and I were twins. I would laugh because it was very true, it was like our parents made duplicates of themselves in different shades. My sister and I are blessed with so much Melanin, while my brothers are lighter in color.

My mom told David and me goodbye before taking my other siblings to their school. I took a deep breath as I headed straight to my classroom.

"Most of you didn't do so well in the maths exam" said Mr A. We called him that because he hardly gives anyone an A unless you score really high in his exam.

Today was one of those days when teachers give hints about how you did throughout the academic session. That's when you will find out whether you're moving to the next grade or not.

"Oh.. Elexis Valentine, come see me in the staffroom before break time" he said before leaving the class.

"Ok sir".

All eyes turned on me and I started hearing people whispering. "Do you think she failed this semester's exam?"

"Why do you think he is calling Elexis?" I heard my other classmates murmur, it was like they wanted me to hear what they were saying.

I ignored them and picked out a novel I had brought with me. It was a gift from a friend who I happened to have a crush on.

"Elexis, don't mind them" said Stacey, an acquaintance turned friend. She's one of my few friends that has always looked out for me.

"Who, me? I don't care what they think, I'm sure he called me for a good reason. Besides, I have something better than listening to people gossip about me" I said, shaking the book I was holding.

"You're always reading, can't we go do something else with our free time?" Stacey whined as she almost grabbed my book. I saw her coming from the corner of my eyes and moved my book before her hand could touch it.

"Hey! Let me finish this page, alright?" I said, pointing at where I was on the page.

"Al-right" she huffed as she sat down on the desk beside me waiting for me to finish.

Stacey was glad when I finished and we headed to the next class to play a game with our fellow classmates.

"Elexis, you're out!" said one of my classmates who was coordinating the game.

"Urghhhh" I said sarcastically, like I was even enjoying the game. It was almost lunchtime, I looked over at Stacey. She looked happy because she was doing well in the game.

I left the classroom and headed straight to Mr A's desk in the staffroom. "Elexis, you're here on time" he said, before I was able to greet him. He was going through some papers which looked like exam scripts.

"Good morning sir" I said, he nodded his head, acknowledging my greetings as he finally looked at me. His expression was unreadable so I couldn't tell if this was good news or bad news for me.

A series of thoughts went through my head that second. I remembered I didn't use a calculator in the exam because it stopped working, so I had to do complex equations and calculations with my head. I also remembered I wasn't able to finish one question.

Could this be it? Oh my goodness. I couldn't have possibly been one of the students he was talking about, right? Wait, I have to be positive. Of course, I know I did my best with or without a calculator. Besides, maths is my favorite subject.

"Elexis…" he dragged. "I must say… I am IMPRESSED".

Did I just hear Mr A say he is impressed with me?

"You were the only one in your entire grade to score over 90% in the exam" he said, showing me my exam script. I saw a big 92 written on my exam sheet.

I almost jumped up in joy, almost. I was in the staffroom and I didn't want to disturb other teachers.

"Thank you very much sir, it's an honor" I said, bowing my head a little.

"You don't need to thank me, Elexis. In fact, I should be thanking you for making me proud, unlike some other students who scored average" he said, and for the first time I saw him smile.

I was really glad because my efforts paid off and, for the first time, I scored over 90% in a subject. I usually scored between 80% to 89% and sometimes as low as 78% in a few subjects, although that was an A. I still wasn't satisfied.

I felt I could do better like my Dad did while he was in school. He was the top student, scored nothing below 90% and was respected by all his classmates. I wanted to follow his legacy. "An apple tree cannot bear a mango fruit" is a proverb I grew up learning. Finally, I can say I'm like my Daddy.

I didn't want to feel too relaxed because I learnt that when you become far too comfortable with your grades you are likely to drop. So I decided to celebrate by buying my favorite snacks during lunchtime as I headed to the dining hall to pick up my lunch.

"Hey Elexis, what did Mr A. tell you in the staffroom?" Stacey asked, sitting on one of the chairs beside me. "Does it have anything to do with your grades?".

I didn't want to disclose the fact that I was the only one that scored over 90 percent in the maths exam. Well, not now. I haven't told anyone yet. Not even my parents know this.

So I replied casually, "Yes it was about my grades, he said I did well in the exam". Technically, I didn't lie, I just didn't tell you how well I did in the exam.

" Oh that's great, I'm glad you passed." She said happily, but I noticed a part of her was worried, worried about her grades. Stacey and I aren't that close but I'm close enough to know she isn't so good at maths.

"Hey" I said, which made her look at me. "I'm sure you did well as well. Remember we prepared for this". I squeezed her hand reassuringly. " Now, stop worrying and let's enjoy the rest of our lunch".

"Alright" she smiled as we finished the rest of our meals together.

This was one of the longest days of school. It was like time froze or it just wasn't moving as fast as it used to. I was waiting patiently for closing time, so I could head back home with my Brother and tell my dad the good news.

Finally, the time was here!

I left the class the second I heard the bell ring. I was on my way to David's class, which is Grade 8. I saw him packing the rest of his books from his locker. His face lit up when he saw me.

"Elexis, I'm finally done with Grade 8 and I found out from my teacher that I got 16th position in my class", David said cheerfully as he came to hug me.

"That's great David" I said, hugging him back. "Don't rejoice too early, let's wait till your results come out. I'm sure you did as well as you said". I let him go and we headed back home.

I could already hear voices from inside. Were our parents back home that early? Maybe they were because I heard mom say "Honey, you can't be serious…" She stopped talking when she noticed David and I went inside the house.

Both my parents were in the sitting room. Mom looked surprised but it was covered by a serious look. Dad looked like he was going to tell us something because he motioned for us to sit down.

I took off my shoes and sat on the couch next to my other siblings while Solomon came to hug me. Mom had already brought him back from school as well as Diana. They go to the same school which only has an elementary school and kindergarten for preschoolers.

"Ermmm, so your mom and I have news" Dad said as he cleared his throat.

"WE ARE MOVING!" they said simultaneously.

"Really, are we moving to another state?" David asked as he jumped up happily."omggg are we going to live next to our cousins?"

"No, we're not going to live anywhere near your cousins. In fact, it's quite far from here", Mom replied.

"We are moving, oh yeah, we are moving. Oh yeah" Diana sings, holding Solomon's hand to do some sort of happy dance.

"Daddy, you can't be serious!" I said, not believing what I was hearing. "We are moving mom! Why??" I asked, now facing my mom.

"I'm sorry dear, but we have to. You should see this as a great start for our family. You get to see the world beyond our country" Mom said, as she moved close to me.

I can't believe this. I'm going to move from my school, my friends, my cousins and everything here. I mean just when my grades are doing extremely well. I am not even done with high school yet.

My siblings are ecstatic about the whole situation because, well, it's something we have always wanted, it just didn't come when I thought it was right. Now, when I've gotten over the whole idea of moving, it just happened to come. Wait beyond our country. "Are we moving outside the continent?" I asked my parents.

"Yes, we are Elexis and we have to leave by next month!" Dad dropped yet another bomb. His expression changed when he saw I wasn't too happy about it.

"NEXT MONTH, yippee! Not like I wasn't expecting that" I said sarcastically. My siblings, on the other hand, are really happy.

"I know this is a lot for you to take in, it's sudden…" Mom said. "But you have to understand that it's for the good of this family. Your dad and I talked about it before you came. He got a job contract from his foreign employer and we had no choice but to move in order to execute the project. We figured this is something we wanted."

"We got everything planned out, you kids' school, our accommodation and everything else is all sorted out", Dad continued.

"Alright" I sighed, trying to be an understanding daughter. It isn't that bad, right? Change is good. I also get to meet people from other races. This shouldn't be bad.

"Oh… I forgot to add" Mom said, heading to her bedroom. " We will be flying first class."

"Courtesy of the company I would be working with" Dad added, following after Mom.

"First class!" David said as his eyes grew wider. At this point, I don't think he could be any more surprised.

"What does it mean to fly first class?" Diana asked, looking a bit confused. Solomon on the other hand, was eating biscuits.

"Flying first class means you can get anything you want on the plane, any food or drink of your choice, massage chairs, you also get to watch TV on the plane…" I trailed off.

"Wowww, is it like in the movies?" She asked curiously.

"Yes, even better" I replied.

"Yayyyy" she danced, clearly excited.

"We had better start packing" David said as he was going to his room.

It is 7 pm and I am not even in the mood for a book, which is unlike me. I usually always read a book before I sleep, but I just lay on my bed looking at the ceiling, while my sister and the rest of my family are watching TV in the sitting room.

Wondering what the world outside my country looks like, I transferred my gaze to my already opened window where I could already see the stars in the sky and the beautiful sunset. My grandma used to tell me stories under the stars when she was alive. I was very much younger then. I and David would sit close to her and she would tell us all sorts of stories she could remember, telling us to be kind to other people. She told us stories about the tortoise and the animal kingdom, which was one of the most popular stories then. That was when I discovered how much I loved stories and books.

She also told me how she met my grandfather. She said she just knew he was the one and they couldn't do without each other. The first time they met was at a beach. She was with her family and he was with his. Apparently, she got lost and didn't know where her family was. He, on the other hand, noticed she was distressed while everyone else was minding their business on the beach. He offered to help her look for her parents and they found them after a while.

Granny said she was reluctant to give a stranger her number but she felt she should because he helped her. He called to ask how she was and after some weeks they started going out together. She said she had never felt happier in her life ever since she met him. She was glad she went to the beach that certain day.

"Love truly is for everyone, Elexis. One day you will find your other half" she used to tell me. I didn't really know what that meant, but I hoped that one day I would get to witness what granny meant. I read books about people who fell in love and even saw it with my own eyes wondering what these people have and I don't. I read theories that said love is just a mere infatuation, but I never believed it. I felt it was something more.

The stars are one thing that reminds me of my grandma. I know she's watching me from Heaven. She wants me to live my best life down here and find the love I deserve.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Even if things don't go as planned, everything will be alright.

It was a Saturday morning and I woke up to a noise which was coming from my parent's room. Why can't someone have a long and quiet sleep?

I lazily dragged myself off my bed and went to close my windows because I forgot to close them last night. I changed to longer pajamas and went to where the noise was coming from.

"Isn't it too early to start packing?" I asked, seeing their door was already open. They were packing most of their stuff into boxes and dropping some boxes on top of each other.

"No, it's not dear. Next month is not too far from here. The earlier we start packing the better", Daddy responded. He looked like he was expecting me to say something else. Then I remembered.

"Oh, I haven't greeted you yet, Good morning mom, Good morning dad," I said quickly like I was trying to cover up for not saying it earlier. My parents were the type that took respect and greetings seriously. It was a normal thing for us.

"So how are you feeling about this whole situation? Ready to move?" Mom asked. She was looking at me.

"It's alright mom, Change is inevitable and everything will be fine," I said as I was going to help her carry one of the boxes she had just filled.

"Real mature Elexis, glad you're onboard with this" Mom replied, patting me on the back.

We were able to pack a few more boxes which included most of their clothes and a few other things they don't use frequently. I swept the floor after we were done and went to check on my brothers. Solomon was still sleeping while David was on his phone.

"Why are you on the phone this Saturday morning?" I said, which made him drop his phone immediately.

"Umm, I was doing research… yeah RESEARCH," he said, smiling. I obviously knew that wasn't true. He stopped my thoughts by adding ".. and how's my beautiful sister doing this morning?"

"I am doing well, glad you asked" I replied, smiling sweetly. "Anyways, what kinda RESEARCH were you doing? Aren't you supposed to be packing?" I stressed the word "research" to show him I didn't believe he was doing that. I knew my brother too well, he was definitely watching some anime on YouTube or somewhere.

"Hey, I was actually doing research well on anime and I already packed most of my stuff. So it won't be bad if I relaxed right" he said, sighing like he just did tons of work.

I just rolled my eyes, well he did pack most of his stuff, which was a good thing. Seems he's really happy about this whole moving situation. I kissed Solomon on the cheek before leaving for my room.

My sister is awake in her bed, which was opposite mine. Yawning, she asked, "Are we still moving abroad?".

"Yes, we are Diana. It wasn't a dream. Mom and dad have packed most of their things already. Even David has, so we had better start packing ours."

"Really," she said, standing on her feet. "Well, let's start from my side of the room, then we will move to yours", she proposed.

I agreed with this and we started packing our stuff. It was 15 minutes and I was already packing our shoes into another big box. "Elexis, come and look at this?". Diana called my attention to something that looked like a heart-shaped pendant. It had two hearts placed on top of each other. It looks old and I'm sure I have seen my mom wear it before.

"Let's go ask our mom who it belongs to. It's not mine" I replied as we both went to show our Mom.

Mom had taken her bath at this point. I think she was about to leave her room. While dad had already gone somewhere.

"Mom, do you know who owns this?" Diana asked. Mom looked surprised seeing the pendant.

"It belongs to… my Mom," she said. I could hear the sadness in her voice. Her mom, which means it belongs to granny. "She wanted Elexis to have it. I would've given it to you once you turned 16 but I couldn't find where I kept it"

"Granny wanted me to have this," I said, tears already welling up in my eyes. It must've been a precious pendant to her and she wanted me to have it. I collected the pendant and wore it around my neck. I will always wear this with me.

"I wish I had met grandma, mom," Diana said.

"I know you do, remember she's watching you from heaven," mom said, hugging Diana.

Mom and I went to prepare breakfast later on. The rest of the day we were cleaning the house, cooking, and packing the few things we could pack. I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm glad we're flying first class.