𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄

** THIRTY-EIGHT **

This chapter is dedicated to a very good friend of mine, an amazing writer and gifted individual -
'Donald Uzoka'
Author of 'The Things We Do' and 'Before Sixteen'
who recently passed away due to an unfortunate circumstance. Sadly, he has to leave so early and never gets to finish some of his books. Please take a moment to pray for his soul. 
I'm going to miss him so much.
May his soul rest in perfect peace.

“Best friends are the people in your life who make you laugh louder, smile brighter and live better.”
— Unknown

*******

               THE COTERIE ARRIVED at the beach resort in Australia after twenty five hours. They took a six hours stopover at Dubai and continued their journey to Sydney, Australia. It was a long and tiring journey but it was also fun. The journey was worthwhile for the group as they use the medium to catch up about things going on in one another lives and did a short sightseeing at their stop-over.

A chauffeur was waiting at the airport with a Mr. Saughter who happened to be the caretaker of the properties in the country and their tourist guide. He brought a Limousine which he used in taking the group to the private beach house. There he introduced them to his chef wife who will making them Australian cuisine and few Nigeria traditional dishes since she was part Nigerian.

He also showed them their bodyguards who will be staying with them in the house.

He assured them that everything had been prepared for them. They had also been granted a free pass to the resort just a few kilometers from the beach house and they could go there to have fun with the other tourist.

The idea seem wonderful to the children and they emanated excitement.

The beach house was a few hundred meters away from the beach. The private resort boasts a beautiful outdoor terrace surrounded by lush tropical gardens with a heated pool that's enough to contain over fifty people, and BBQ. It also has a porch with pool chairs and pool swing.

The house was magnificent and made of mostly wood and glass. Half of the building has a floor-to-ceiling glass wall that overlook the stunning view of the garden, pool and beach. The interior was all white, spacious and it was a perfect to their taste as it was well equipped with modern technology.

After taking their time to look around the house, they picked a room in twos as they were only six rooms in the beach house. Jaime and Jared, Jewel and Chizaram, Khalid and Jesse, Jedekaih and Zayn, and finally Yasmin and Chinecherem. Everyone seemed pleased with their roommate except Yasmine but she didn't complain for long.

It'd been four hours after the group arrived at the private beach house. They had all went to sleep had an hour after their arrival because of the jetlag. But they were now all fully awake, conversing with one another in spacious living room.

While the others are still conversing in the sitting room, Chinecherem left the group and she went out to the front porch. The porch was wide and floored just like the inside of the house. It has pool chairs arranged linearly and two porch swings at the extreme end and they were all facing the sea a few meters away.

It felt so serene and quiet outside the beach house. Though she can see the others that were in the living room from where she stood, as it was a glass wall that separated the living room area from the porch. But she could hardly hear what they were saying due to distance.

That was a relief.

She enjoys peace and quiet.

For most of the year, she was always alone except in class where she was the brightest but still the strangest. The outcast. So she enjoys solitude; that way, she won't have to be reminded that she was an outcast or feel envious of others who have friends and are happy.