LIKE STARS

Semiloore looked outside as her mom drove through the estate. Most of the houses were shielded behind tall fences.

Semiloore grimaced, there was nothing special about this state.

Semiloore groaned as she pulled the boxes upstairs and kicked open a door.

"Don't break the door sweetie" Mrs Ajayi hollered and Semiloore just huffed.

"A door doesn't cost that much" Tamiloore replied as she dragged her own boxes up and opened the next door.

"We aren't sharing the same room?" Semiloore asked her twin sister.

"Unfortunately no" Tamiloore replied as she slipped into her room and closed the door. Semiloore huffed as she kicked the door close.

"Sweetie" Mrs Ajayi hollered again.

"It won't come off" Semiloore hollered back as she took in her new room.

"This isn't as awesome as my former room" Semiloore said to herself as she started making the room her little paradise.

She brought out her MP3 player and connected it to her iPhone Bluetooth and soon Shut Up and Dance by Jason Derulo was blaring through the duplex.

Semiloore danced and swung her hips as she hung her clothes. She put up a huge poster and she smiled at the poster as she glanced at her new paradise. The door opened and Tamiloore waddled inside. She walked to the MP3 player and reduced the volume.

"Nice paradise" Tamiloore said as she plopped on the bed and her eyes scanned the room.

She smiled as she turned to Semiloore "You brought this poster along?" Tamiloore asked.

"Yh!" Semiloore replied with pride and sat beside her twin sister.

"Akure is eerily quiet" Tamiloore commented as Semiloore loosened her shoe lace.

"I kinda like it, its not like the busting and noisy Lag but the quietness of this town is actually comfortable" Semiloore replied.

"Yeah" Tamiloore nodded her head agreeing.

Semiloore walked to where her bag was and unzipped it. She brought out her laptop and walked to her reading table.

"What do you want to do?" Tamiloore asked

"I downloaded the last Season of Criminal Minds last night" Semiloore replied sitting down.

"I'll go bring my hard drive and collect it" Tamiloore said standing from the bed.

"Okay" Semiloore replied her eyes still fixed on her laptop.

"Girls" a voice said as the door opened.

"Yes mom" Semiloore replied.

"Let's get something to eat" Mrs Ajayi said.

"What?" Tamiloore asked.

"Maybe rice" Mrs Ajayi replied.

"Have you filled the gas?" Semiloore asked as Mrs Ajayi sighed.

"I totally forgot, I'll go fill it now" Mrs Ajayi replied.

"You appear tired,you should rest,Tamiloore and I will take garri" Semiloore added.

"Will you guys be okay with that?" Mrs Ajayi asked with a look of concern.

"Yes, of course" Semiloore replied as Tamiloore gave her a reassuring smile.

They both walked downstairs and walked to the kitchen. Semiloore searched frantically everywhere but couldn't find either sugar or groundnut.

"What the hell? Are we supposed to take the garri plain?" Semiloore asked no one in particular.

"I think I saw an open shop earlier, let's just go get it, that way we'll take a better look at our street" Tamiloore offered.

"Okay, let me take my phone upstairs" Semiloore said as she ran upstairs and was back almost immediately.

"I told mom, let's go" Semiloore added her breathing hitched a little.

They both walked out of the house and stood outside looking sideways

"Why I do I feel like we look like lost fools right now?" Semiloore asked sarcastically.

Tamiloore laughed "I think there's also a shop down there, I'll go up and you'll down" Tamiloore said.

Semiloore glanced at the sky as she stuck her ear piece in her ears. She felt better listening to music;there was no mistaking to her alien feeling in this place. She didn't take notice of her surroundings as she walked further not sighting any shop until she sighted one afar off.

"Do I have to walk this far just to buy sugar and groundnut? Mad o" Semiloore murmured to herself as she moved her feet faster.

She soon got to the shop and there was a girl of her age inside typing away on her phone.

"Good afternoon, what do you want to buy?" She asked politely as soon as she sighted Semiloore.

"Sugar and groundnut" Semiloore replied.

"How much?" The girl asked politely.

"Fifty naira for both" Semiloore replied as she fished out her purse from her jean jacket.

"And three minimie chin chin" Semiloore added.

The girl nodded as she packed everything in a nylon.

Semiloore's phone rang and she glanced at the caller ID, Half Life with a love emoji showed on the screen. She laughed as she picked the call.

"Lost?" Semiloore asked a trace of smile on her face.

"Of course not" Tamiloore replied.

"What's it?" Semiloore asked.

"I cant believe the big shop didn't have sugar or groundnut" Tamiloore replied .

"So?" Semiloore asked again.

"Isn't sugar and groundnut supposed to be a necessity of life?" Tamiloore asked rolling her eyes even when she knew Semiloore couldn't see her.

"Necessity indeed" Semiloore replied "You beginning to sound sarcastic" Semiloore added.

"All thanks to you" the latter replied "Have you had any success?" Tamiloore asked.

"Sure but I can't believe either that I have to walk that far to buy sugar and groundnut" Semiloore said as the girl in the shop laughed a little.

Tamiloore laughed "In any case, you should buy spaghetti and sardine too and egg"

"Why?" Semiloore asked.

"Night food" Tamiloore replied.

"You've filled the gas?" Semiloore asked with an eyebrow raised.

"There's a gas station at the junction, I can't believe I didn't see it earlier" Tamiloore replied.

"Ohh" Semiloore said.

"I'll meet you in front of the house" Tamiloore said.

"Okay" Semiloore said as she hung up.

Semiloore glanced at the girl "I'm sorry, could you please add two spaghetti, two sardine and four eggs?" Semiloore asked.

"Sure"."Hmm, did you just recently move here?" the girl asked.

"Yes" Semiloore replied.

"Ohh" the girl said nodding her head.

Semiloore didn't bother to reply.

"One thousand and two hundred" the girl said as she stretched the nylon to Semiloore and she gave her money.

"I'm Tolani by the way" the girl said as she gave Semiloore her change. Semiloore gave her a small smile

"Semiloore" Semiloore replied.

"I'll see you around" Tolani said as Semiloore walked away.

"She's so pretty" Tolani said as she went back to sit down.

Semiloore took in her surroundings as she walked back. Almost every house was fenced and only a few were not fenced. Some had beautiful flowers arranged in front of their houses while some weren't  bothered by the weeds growing in front of their houses.

Semiloore shrugged as she shuffled her feet against the tarred road and suddenly she heard a yelp and she turned just in time to see a ball coming straight for her and she ducked immediately. Semiloore hit the ball as the ball fell and bounced to her feet.

Angry, she removed an ear of her ear piece and turned to face whosoever had kicked the ball. It was then she noticed a field she hadn't even seen before. A guy was walking towards her.

"I'm sorry, can you kick the ball towards me?" He asked with a polite smile.

Semiloore was about to reply him another guy answered,

"Kick the ball? Do you want her to kick it out of the universe?" And everyone burst into laughter.

Let her just throw it" another added.

"Girls aren't good at throwing either" the first boy who had spoken said again "But they are better" he added.

All the boys laughed again.

"Why does she look like she wants to strangle me?" The boy said again and the boys coursed into laughter again.

Semiloore glared at them as she kicked the ball, the boy ducked in time as the ball came flying towards him and the next thing was the ball was in the net and even the goal keeper couldn't catch it. Everyone turned to her in shock. That distance;except she was footballer.

"Cat caught your tongue lousy?" Semiloore snarled as she put in her back her ear piece and walked off.

"Whoa!" Someone exclaimed.

"That shot was awesome, I can't believe I couldn't catch it" the boy standing at the goal post said surprise evident in his voice.

"She was very angry, just her luck" the boy said.

"Peter, you know that was mad luck though" another boy replied.

"But who's she? I've never seen her around here before" a boy said.

"She just left, you can run after her and ask her" another boy said and the boys burst into laughter.

"Kola nah, what did Frank do to you?" A boy asked. 

"Abi nah, you are always salvaging him" another boy added.

"Tell him to use his sense for once" Kola replied with a cocky tone.

"Its not like you even have one". Frank retorted in a fit to get back at him and the boys roared in laughter.

"You will stop insulting each other right now" a boy who had not spoken for a while said and the boys went mute.

"I really don't know how I managed to gather you morons as a bunch of team" the boy continued.

"Bunch of team?" Peter cracked as he wanted to laugh.

"If i see your teeth, I'll suspend you" the boy said sternly.

Peter folded his mouth and so did every other person who had wanted to laugh before.

"Infact, practice is over" the boy said.

"Its really far" Tamiloore replied.

"Hmm" Semiloore replied garri in her mouth.

"The street pretty long and bubbly" Tamiloore added.

"Yeah, there's a field" Semiloore commented.

" That sounds cool, you could practice whenever you want" Tamiloore said.

"Yeah" Semiloore drawled as she finished her garri and walked downstairs to the kitchen. She rinsed her plate and dropped it in the plate rack before walking back to her room.

"Girls" Mrs Ajayi's voice came through the door.

"Ma!" Tamiloore and Semiloore hollered.

"I want to look through the neighborhood and find the nearest RCCG church from here" Mrs Ajayi said walking into the dining room.

"You can use a GPS mom, you drove all the way from Lag since about 5am, I think you should sleep you know, its not even 4pm yet" Semiloore said.

"Help me check then" Her mom replied as she shook her head.

"Okay" Tamiloore replied as she tapped away on her phone.

"Well, the nearest one is 25 minutes away" Tamiloore added pursing her lips.

"Okay, I'll go have some rest, you girls should have too, I won't take any excuse tomorrow, we are all going to church" Mrs Ajayi said said standing up.

"Mom!" Semiloore whined.

"No whining" Mrs Ajayi scolded as she walked out of the dinning room.

Tamiloore laughed as she stood up to drop her plate. She glanced at her twin sister and then at her mom retreating back before her smile grew wider.