My name is Joseph, I’ve had other names in the past, I only recently started referring to myself as the ‘watcher’, mostly because I thought it cool and mysterious and before you write me off, I am not a sixteen-year-old boy who reads marvel comic books, I’m just different like all the teenagers I’ve observed in the past few years. Some of them turned out really great, some turned out real bad and some….well, we’re still praying about those ones but my story is about a very odd fifteen-year-old Nigerian girl, or at least that’s how she started.

I don’t really know why I chose to write about Enitan Afolayon but I think it’s because I connect with her more than all those other kids out there, I see myself in her. Fifteen, hurt, lonely, hateful and pushing everyone away so she could find solace in her silence and then hating it too, in that aspect Enitan and I have a lot in common. Poor girl had struggled with tragedy for as long as she could remember, born with a facial deformity, lost her parents at the age of four and forced to understand the harsh truth by people who claimed to be family—she was deformed, ugly in their words but her saving grace came when her uncle took her in and raised her with so much love it sometimes hurt. Living with her uncle, his wife and her grandfather was the best thing that had ever happened to Eni since her parents death and now it was falling apart.

She stood in horror as she overheard her aunt and grandpa telling her uncle it was time he let her find her own two feet, it was time he let her face challenges on her own so she could be her own person—learn to fight. Enitan wanted to scream, were they insane?! To hell with finding her two feet! She knew where they were and where they needed to remain—at home! With her uncle, with them! Her uncle would not consent to that, Enitan was certain he would refuse, yet one week later her bags were already packed and they were all ready to take her away from home.

“Enitan! Please come downstairs!” Benjamin Afolayon called from downstairs to his niece who had simply refused to leave her room.

“I don’t want to!” She cried.

“Eni, you’re beautiful!” He replied and she peeked through the door, her face covered with a hijab.

“Uncle Benjie, we both know that’s a lie”, she said and shut the door.

“Don’t worry, I’ll talk to her”, Mabel said and made for Eni’s room. “Eni!”

“Aunt Mabel don’t even start”.

“Eni, Xavier Academy is the best school in Nigeria, it’s like having Harvard right here in Nigeria”.

“Aunt you know I’m not good with people”, she sighed covering her face with a pillow.

“Really? Why?”

“Have you seen my face?!”

“Yes, it’s one of a kind”, Mabel replied with a light smile.

“Aunt Mabel, if Frankenstein had a child with Dracula’s daughter, she’d probably look like me”.

“Eni, don’t say that, this is your chance to see the world, we can’t keep you trapped in this house forever”, Mabel said and Eni looked away, she wanted to say she didn’t mind but she knew it wouldn’t make a difference. “Eni”, Mabel called taking her hand.

“Aunt, I’m scared”.

“Of what?”

“I won’t fit in there, I’m not strong enough to face the world, I don’t know what to expect, what if people see me and run away?”

“Eni, you’re a wonder and if people run away from you, they’re really dumb”, she grinned and Enitan giggled softly.

“Hey Eni”, Kofi, her grandfather, called and she turned to him, he asked her if she was ready and she said no. “Well, that’s good enough”, he chuckled and hugged her. “Trust me Eni, you’ll come back stronger”.

“Thank you”, she whispered and picked up her bags.

The journey from Abuja to Uyo, would take hours and although Eni preferred going by plane, aunt Mabel insisted that they drove there. “It’s your chance to see the world”, she said and she was right, Enitan was amazed by everything, even the seemingly irrelevant ones. Her uncle bought something new for her at every stop and soon she was beginning to like the outdoors. After a long ride they finally arrived in Uyo and lodged in a hotel till the next day. The following day, they went to Xavier Academy to finish her admission process and find her hostel.

“Uncle Benjie, this doesn’t look like Nigeria”, Enitan remarked as soon as she saw the Xavier Academy campus.

“Sweetheart, you don’t even know what Nigeria looks like, you’ve been indoors so much”, Benjamin teased.

“Eni, why is your face still covered up? Mabel asked as they got down from the car.

“Aunt Mabel, just leave it”, she shrugged and picked up her jacket from the backseat. They went to the Administrative block and got her hostel card, a copy of the school rule book, an exeat card and finally they were referred to the Guardian and Counselling unit so she could get a school guardian. As she stood at the G&C unit, with her face wrapped, seeing the students and guardians walking in different directions, she got cold feet.

“Enitan Afolayon”, called Miss. Bridget Simmons, she was a half caste, her mother was a Nigerian while her father was from England. Enitan had previously overheard some students saying that she was the best guardian and that she was trained abroad and seeing how nice Miss Bridget was, she felt she would be the perfect guardian.

“Eni”, Mabel nudged pulling her forward. “Let’s go”, she said and they followed Miss Bridget into her office and sat down facing her.

“Hello Eni, can you do me a favor and take your hijab off?” Miss Bridget asked in the sweetest voice and without any hesitation she took it off. “You look—”

“Like a monster?”

“Of course not, you look different, you’re a masterpiece”, she replied taking her hands and Eni’s eyes widened, someone else had said that to her before she could no longer remember. “You know; in Xavier academy we have a lot of gifted children”.

“Don’t you mean deformed?”

“No, I mean unique, I’m in charge of all unique and gifted children here and you’re special to me, so if you ever have any issues please come to me”. She concluded and they stood up to leave and Enitan covered herself up again.

“Okay, let’s go see your hostel”, Benjamin said and they both turned to him.

“Uh, Benjamin, you do know that you can’t follow her into her hostel, right?”

“Why?”

“Because you’re a man”, Mabel scoffed.

“Okay, both of you go, I’ll be in the car”, he said awkwardly as Eni smiled at him.

“Alright Eni, let’s go”, Mabel sighed holding up the school map and using it to locate the hostel. They walked into a huge story building which had “Xavier’s Girls Hostel Block 2” boldly inscribed on it. “Eni, your room is 27b and it says here that you’re going to have one roommate”, Mabel said as they climbed up the stairs with Enitan’s box.

“I told you I didn’t want a roommate”.

“Don’t worry Eni, you’ll like her, I’m sure about it”, Mabel replied as they arrived at room 27b and she knocked on the door.

“I don’t think there’s anyone in there”

“I’m certain there’s someone in there, I can hear music”, Mabel said knocking again.

“I’m coming!” A female voice yelled from inside as the lock clicked. “Hi, you must be my new roommate, I’m Laura she said waving, her eyes searching through Enitan’s veiled face. She tried to give her a handshake but Eni moved backwards almost startled.

“She’s a bit shy”, Mabel intervened taking Laura’s hand.

“It’s fine, please come in”, she replied as they entered the room. It was painted a very bright shade of blue, as bright as the cloudless sky, there were two beds opposite each other one of them had a mickey mouse bed sheet, the drawer on the left was made of polished wood and on the walls, there were different posters, one which caught Enitan’s attention was that which read, “Beauty is everywhere, it’s your eyes that see differently”. She scoffed in her heart as she read it to herself.

“Okay, Eni, this is your new friend Laura”, Mabel said and Enitan looked up to the person in question. She was dark and chubby and wore glasses, her voice sounded so friendly and welcoming it reminded her of Miss Bridget and she had a beautiful smile that seemed even more enchanting with her dimples.

“Are you leaving?” she asked turning to Mabel.

“Yeah honey, we have to go, so we don’t get to Lagos at night”, she replied hugging her.

“Stay with me”, Enitan whispered.

“Eni, you’re a strong girl, believe me, I find it hard to imagine what that house is going to feel like when I can’t wake up every morning to your beautiful smile and smart talks, but Eni, I want you to learn to stand on your own two feet, I love you and I’ll never stop praying for you, but you’ve got to be the fighter that I know you are”, she said releasing her from her arms. “Do you want to see your uncle before we go?”

“Is that a question?” Enitan chuckled trying to hold back her tears. They said their goodbyes and as she watched them drive away, reality struck Enitan, she was in the real world. She could no longer wake up to her uncle’s kisses and aunt’s pampering, she would no longer hide in their shadows. She made her way back to the hostel and barely said a word to her new roommate who suddenly seemed as shy as she was.