Chapter 1: A Wolf's Introduction
10 years later…
It was a busy day in the streets and city of Toronto in Canada. Everyone here is going about their business. Pedestrians walking by, cars driving by the road, and lots of shops and stores all around the streets. Nothing but a peaceful day. Though there is one person who stands out among some crowd of citizens. A young teenage girl was walking down the street. She has dark tan skin, black hair, and wears a bit of a gothic outfit.
Valentia (Narrator): Toronto, one of the most important cities in Canada. Many patrons are bright and happy, but there is one black whole that stands out. Me: Valentia Kamlifi. I'm a freshman at Claudette Cion High. Many of the patrons find me a little weird due to my goth nature, but I am proud of it. I'm especially proud of today because it's my fourteenth birthday. Now that I'm older, I can face many challenges.
Valentia was heading towards high school called 'Claudette Cion'. It was quite bigger for any school to be. And it was very popular. Valentia enters the school where everyone gets terrified of her. They were scared because of Valentia's strange gothic behaviour. The only ones not scared of her were the other local goths. As they were about to come up to her, they saw a posh blonde girl with glasses. They got so scared they ran away. After Valentia closes her locker, she spots the blonde girl and groans in irritation.
"Oh great…" groaned Valentia.
Valentia (Narrator): That is Macy Molson, the meanest and most snobbish girl in school. Everyone didn't like the way she acted towards them, she only allowed the perfect girls to be part of her posse, 'The Loopholes'. A stupid name I know.
"Hello, Kamlifi," Macy greeted, "Are you going to the homecoming Saturday night?"
"Macy," Valentia groaned, "You know I don't do school dances, they're dull and I have to look like a fashion doll and not a voodoo doll."
"I'm scared," Macy mocked, "Because I'm being controlled by a Kammlamey."
Her three cohorts also laughed. They consisted of perfection ate red-head, 'Livia', and hispanic girls, 'Everly' and 'Emilia'. All of the sudden, they smelled some lotus perfume. Thanks to Livia's strong smelling, she could tell it was organic. "Come, My Queen," Livia shouted, "Let's get you to the girls room and put some artificial perfume on you."
As it turns out, the organic perfume smell came from her two best friends. Arya is an Indian girl with long wavy black hair, while Maverick is an overweight boy with short curly red hair and average fun guy clothes.
Valentia (Narrator): Those are my best friends. Arya La Suer, who is an eco-efficient girl who can't stand the taste of meat, and Maverick Lagreyson, a bit of a funny guy who has the appetite of 50 hippopotamuses. I met them in kindergarten after everyone picked on me for the way I dressed. They defended me because of the phrase, 'We the bullied have to stick together'. Arya was bullied because of her natural Indian accent and Maverick was bullied for his obesity.
"Happy birthday, Valentia," said Arya as she got out some mangos from her purse, "Fresh organic mangos from my family's fruit market."
"And for the Fourteen-Year-Old Siren," Maverick replied as he got out a scarf, "Hand-knit scarf made by yours truly, with a little help from my mom's knitting patterns of the moon phases."
Valentia gave her friends a small smile.
"Thanks guys." said Valentia as she ate some organic mangos and placed them on the moon scarf.
Lunchtime
Everyone was in a hurry to get to lunch. Amongst the servers was an African boy in a hoodie.
Valentia (Narrator): That's my older brother by five years, 'Tamu'. Master chef and server of sweets. Usually he works at Molson's Mansion/comic shop as a chef, but on Tuesdays, Fridays, and holidays he serves meals to the students.
"Hey there sis," Tamu greeted, "I'm sorry that we couldn't drive you to school, Dad had to make final preparations for the homecoming dance this weekend."
"Oh yeah," Valentia groaned, "The Dance of Doom."
"Usually they would wear tuxedos and dresses," Tamu agreed. "Why can't they wear kente cloth?
"Aren't they the African togas?" Maverick recalled
"Yeah, Maverick," Tamu laughed, "The African togas."
Valentia (Narrator): There is one more thing you have to know about me.
An elegant African man comes towards her, "Valentia," he said sternly, "Miss. Molson has informed me that you and your friends have harassed her with perfume."
Then his stern frown changed into a smile, "But we the faculty of Claudette Cion High usually know that she does the harassing and not you, My Second Born Child."
"Dad," groaned Valentia, "Did you really have to come to me at the oddest times, and on my fourteenth-birthday."
"I know you're growing up," Principal Kamlifi replied, "But we have lots of responsibilities."
Valentia (Narrator): Yeah, my dad is the principal. He doesn't tolerate any type of bullying because of his weak heart. As for my mother, she's a tour guide at the Queen Nzinga Museum, and usually gives free tours on weekends. Haven't been there since I started middle school.
"Listen, we're a bit short-handed on the homecoming staff," said Principal Kamlifi. "Looks like Kali has got the dates mixed up again, out of anyone who is available, you're the best option."
"Father, she doesn't like school dances," said Tamu.
"Not unless they're monster/supernatural themed." said Principal Kamlifi.
"What?" asked Valentia.
"It is your first year of high school, so I figured I could honour you by making the dance supernatural themed." said Principal Kamlifi.
Valentia was a bit surprised by this type of workmanship. She couldn't help but give a small smile to her father.
"Thanks, Dad," said Valentia.
After they walked off, Tamu could remember his theme of homecoming when he came to high school, 'African Rave' where everything was based on Africa, especially Ghana. Only the people of zoology, gardening, and geography showed up because they loved the theme, but everyone thought that Principal Kamlifi was being too old school.
At one part of the table, an African-American rebel was sitting alone at lunch when a group of bullies came up. One of them was a Latin American boy wearing posh clothes. "Look at here, everyone," he laughed, "Jaquez the Joke is enjoying his grilled cheese!"
"Talk about cheesy chow!" insulted a transgender African girl.
"Stop it, A'Lamar." Jaquez groaned.
"It's Avarie now." corrected Avarie.
"Right," Jaquez recalled, "I forgot that you transitioned into a woman over the summer."
Avarie got so mad that she poured grape juice onto him, making everyone laugh.
"Looks like Jaquez is getting picked on again," whispered Maverick.
"Should we do something?" Arya asked.
"No," Valentia whispered, "You know very well that my dad is the principal, and it would be heartbreaking if a teacher/principal puts their own children in detention."
Without a choice, they watched Jaquez get bullied and get the blame on who started it.
Meanwhile, at The Queen Nzinga African Cultural Museum, Kamara was having her lunch and going through her scrapbook of her and her family growing up, "Fourteen years since my second born child arrived." Kamara smiled, "Now it's time."
After finishing her salad, The Eyes of Jandra glewed from her purse, "But not too soon," Kamara whispered as she closed her purse.
And in time, a middle aged Frenchman wearing a safari outfit came in, "Kamara," he said, "We have that kindergarten tour in ten minutes, did you remember?"
"Oui, Dr. Leloup" Kamara replied, "I was uh, getting my daughter's present ready."
"Fourteen years old already," Dr. Leloup recalled, "I remember when she and those two chaps of hers came by on the weekends, except for when they had to go out of town. Out of all the wings in the museum, they've never set foot in the old Wakandan Wing. In fact, no one has touched it since the late 2000s."
"You know them," Kamara replied, "They preferred the newer wing by the observatory."
To Be Continued...
