XXXXXA person’s fifth year is a turning point in their lives. They were fifteen or sixteen years of age, and had begun caring about their place in their communities. Akinyi was sixteen, had just the previous year chosen to continue her studies as a general student, and had begun putting an effort into not only her studies, but also into investing in herself. She paid attention to fashion trends, tested skincare and hair products, and gained a confidence she simply hadn’t had before—she had become a distraction to her classmates, and upon hearing those words fall from the lips of an acquaintance, she laughed. But now it was June, and final exams were certainly nothing to laugh about. She had to study, she had to excel.
“…and Skele-Gro has to be exposed to the light of a full moon, and then given an additional three weeks before fully maturing…” Akinyi muttered under her breath, clutching her papers close to her chest. Normally, these papers would be tucked into her bag, safe from the perils that occasionally plagued the halls. But today, she risked their pristine condition in order to gain a few extra minutes to study the information on them, that she had written down prior. “…and this potion has the ability to heal broken bones, and even occasionally regrow disappeared bones, which may have been caused by botched healing spells, Ossio Dispersimus, and the rare vanishing illness…” The fifth year continued to mutter potions information under her breath, eyes tilted towards the ground as she conjured the information from memory.
The corridors around her seemed to melt away. The caverns became blurred as she strode forward, mind clearly elsewhere. The world faded into the quiet clack. of her heels for each step she took, accompanied by the quiet fwish. of the loose fabric of her light-colored dress, as according to the Uagadou dress code. Many students also on their way to their classes strode by with purpose in their step, much as Akinyi was. She was merely stepping through the halls as she always did, weaving around the slow walkers before finally ducking ahead of the crowd, making a beeline towards her classroom for the coming period.
Akinyi wasn’t thinking anything about her love life, or her future spouse. The Kenyan girl was far more focused on her academic future. Little did she know that today was the day she would meet Malaika Omenuko, the future love of her life.
