DANIELLA✔

Chapter two

Embarrassed, that was how I felt as all eyes turned to look at me. The twin that asked looked at me with contempt, like I was some dirty rag.

"She's Daniella, your cousin. She'd be staying with us for now." Aunt Caro informed, "Daniella, will you stop standing there and get the remaining things from the boot!" She yelled at me.

I flinched in fear. "Okay aunt." I carried her luggage to the centre of the living room and briskly made my way outside.

As I got outside, I stopped when I heard the same twin voice from inside the house. I was curious to hear what she had to say, so I eavesdropped.

"Mum, I never knew we had a cousin like that." The way she emphasized the last word was with so much disgust.

"Like how Amanda?" That was aunt Caro asking.

"Don't you see mum, she doesn't look like us. She looks so local."

I suddenly felt hurt as I heard that. I couldn't believe that aunt Caro's child, my own cousin would call me local just because I was from the village. It was an affront to me.

I just got to the city and I already felt like going back to the village. Nothing about the city fascinated me at all. The way I had imagined the city wasn't the way it was turning out to me. First was the angry looking people walking across the street of Lagos, then to the deafening noise of the ceaseless traffic and now, an unfriendly welcome from aunt Caro's children. Could it just get any worse!

Angrily, I walked out of the gate to aunt Caro's car and struggled with both hands to carry the remaining things we brought from the village, including my own luggage, into the living room.

When I got into the house, I saw only one of the twins in the living room. I didn't even know if she was the one that called me local earlier on because they were both so identical. For now, I couldn't distinguish one from the other.

She was fiddling with a big phone. It was as big as the type aunt Caro used but it wasn't exactly the same. This one had a pink pouch. I couldn't help but wonder why a girl of her age was using such a phone. Did everyone in the city use such phones? I wondered.

I stood there looking at her and she didn't bother to spare me a glance. She had her head buried in her phone. I wanted to know where I could drop the bag of garri and some of the other things we bought on our way to Lagos, but I was too scared to ask her. I didn't want someone calling me a local girl again.

I took a deep breath and swallowed the lump in my throat as I mustered confidence to ask her anyway. What did aunt Caro call her name again? I tapped my index finger on the side of my lips, thoughtfully. Amanda, yes Amanda.

"Amanda, where can I drop all of these bags?"

Her head snapped at me and I could see her facial features more clearly. She was light skinned and very beautiful. Her eyes were bulging, just like her mum's.

"Sorry, did you just call me Amanda?" She asked and her voice sounded a bit different. It wasn't as high pitched as I remembered it. Perhaps she was the other twin and not Amanda. She smiled and said, "I'm not Amanda, that's my twin sister. My name is Annabelle. And for those bags, you could drop them in the kitchen over there." She pointed her hand in the direction of the kitchen.

"Okay thanks." I smiled sheepishly at her. I was glad she didn't answer me coldly like her twin sister did. I carried the bag of garri as I made my way to the direction she pointed.

"Wait, how did you know my twin sister name is Amanda?" Her voice made me stop and I turned to look at her.

"I heard your mum call her that."