"Mister Eniola?"
'Ahh, that felt heavenly...'
Ayo's eyes opened slowly, and he felt a profound sense of serenity wash over him. He rose from where he lay and stretched his body vigorously.
"Ah, I'm sorry, I must have dozed off..." He apologized with a quick bow.
"No worries, you must have been exhausted," the principal replied.
Ayo's eyes widened as he realized that the principal was the first person who had ever told him it was okay to sleep during a meeting. It struck him that so much had happened in a single day – he had died, crossed some borderline, escaped, been knocked out, and...
"It's time to go home; the school is closing for the day," the principal informed him.
"Closing? You mean the school is shutting down for the day?"
"Indeed, it's closing time. Are you alright, Mister Ayo Eniola?"
"Principal..."
"Yes?" The principal responded as he packed his bag.
"Do you know the way to my house?"
"I visited once when you moved in last year. Not everyone can afford such a place..."
'...a rich kid's life.'
"I think I've forgotten how to get there. Could you help me with directions?" Ayo mumbled.
The principal chuckled. "If you need a ride, just say so. You don't have to be coy about it."
Ayo didn't fully grasp his statement until a few minutes later.
"Oh my god!!! What kind of carriage is this? There's no horse, and the wheels are so big and black?! What are they even made of?" Ayo exclaimed, running around the four-wheeled vehicle, closely examining its body. He glanced at the principal, who stood there bewildered. Other students passed by, laughing for some reason, but he paid them no mind.
"What do you call this carriage?!" He shouted out his question.
The principal paused and slowly replied, "It's a Range Rover Sport... and it's a car, not a carriage..."
'...is he making fun of me when he has even fancier ones... tsk'
The principal shook his head. "Get in; let's go." He opened the door, prompting Ayo's heart to leap with excitement once again.
The interior was unlike anything he had ever seen, with a small steering wheel in front that controlled everything. It was fascinating, but it wasn't just that – everything around him was different, from the towering skyscrapers to the roads. Despite the rough environment and occasional plumes of smoke, he knew he was in a completely different world.
"We've arrived," the principal said, parking in front of a tall building. Ayo quickly disembarked from the car, his mouth agape in amazement.
"Are all of these mine?"
"Well, since it's one of your parents' properties, we could say yes. But why are you asking so many questions like you don't know?" The principal said, looking at him.
Ayo was too captivated by the massive structure to respond immediately.
~vroooooom~
The sound of the principal's car driving away snapped him out of his reverie, and he eventually turned to enter the building. Numerous cars were parked outside, and he struggled to locate the entrance. He wandered back and forth, trying to find his way.
"Hey, did you lose something, bro?" a man in a white shirt and navy blue trousers asked.
"Who are you? Are you a soldier?" Ayo inquired, noticing the military-like attire.
"No, I'm just a security guard here. But I used to be a soldier... looks like my muscles haven't diminished, huh?"
"No... do you know me?"
"Of course, you're the introverted AY."
"What does AY mean?"
The man paused and looked at him, "Come on, you're asking me what AY stands for? Your name is Ayo Eniola, so Ayo AY. That's how we refer to it here in Nigeria."
"Sorry? Did you say Nigeria?"
"Yeah, Nigeria – this country. Our country, Nigeria," he replied.
Ayo struggled to piece together his thoughts and make sense of what was happening.
"Sorry, do you know how to get to my room?"
"Yes, the third room on the fourth floor," he said, smiling. "AY AY, you should drop something for the boys," he added in a local phrase suggesting Ayo should tip him.
"I'm sorry; I don't have anything to give..." Ayo responded, puzzled by the man's statement. The language used was unfamiliar, and he couldn't decipher its meaning. "If you don't mind, could you help me find my room?"
The guard paused, his expression slightly displeased, before walking ahead of Ayo. "Follow me."
They climbed the stairs since the elevator was out of order – something the guard lamented about incessantly. They passed by numerous people who greeted them in other languages that sounded familiar yet foreign. The security guard fluently responded to each greeting.
Finally, they arrived at Ayo's door, and the guard stood there, looking at him. "Need help getting inside too?"
"No, I'll take it from here," Ayo replied. The guard let out a sigh and walked away, clearly not pleased.
'...Why did he offer to help if he didn't want to?...' Ayo briefly wondered, but he couldn't dwell on it. He faced an even greater challenge – getting the door open.
The door had a knob, and it appeared to require both a key and a passcode. While not entirely foreign concepts, Ayo was unsure how to proceed. He searched his pockets and found a few candlesticks, a wallet containing a black card, and some change – but nothing that could help with the door.
"Hey, AY... why are you just standing there? Did you forget your passcode?" a curvaceous young woman in revealing attire asked as she approached.
"Yes..."
"It happens to me all the time. I've lost my key and forgotten my passcode countless times. So I learned how to pick locks," she said and knelt down, arching her back provocatively as she worked on the lock.
Ayo couldn't help but be intrigued by her attire, which stirred something within him. Finally, the door clicked open, and she rose with a smile.
"There you go; you should call a locksmith and make sure you write down your passcode somewhere safe. You really should take a shower too..." she said as she walked away.
Only then did Ayo realize how unpleasantly he smelled.