Murmuring could be heard in the hallway as students and parents shuffled and whispered, their footsteps echoing on the polished surface as they found their way to the rows of empty seats in the auditorium.
"Hello ladies and gentlemen," the host voice boomed through the microphone, cutting through the remaining chattering. "As we all know, today is the day we've all been waiting for, First Year Junior Spelling-Bee." A polite applause ripped through the audience. "The participants in this year's competition is a total of thirty bright young minds. After the first round fifteen will advance to the second round, then five students for the last round, then five will battle it out in the final round. Among those five, three exceptional students will be crowned our overall winners." He paused for dramatic effect. "The first position will be rewarded with a grand prize of one million naira, five valuable Tag points recognizing his/her exceptional talent, and some gadgets assisting the winner in the school and his/her face will grace our school's spelling-bee competition board for a year. The second position will receive six hundred thousand naira, three Tag points and some helpful gadgets. And the third, a respectable three hundred thousand naira. Who among these brilliant young brains will take home the gold?"
The host began calling out names. "Number one, Jane Sani. Number two, Harmony John. Number three, Bright..." His voice continued, the anticipation in the room growing at each name, until it was my turn. "Number twenty-one, Xverna Black." I felt a nervous flutter in my stomach, my palms a little sweaty. Maisie's name was called earlier. "Number fourteen, Maisie Ayomide."
"Now that all our talented contestant are settled," the host continued, gesturing to our nervous faces. "Theses are the rules. Each contestants will receive one word per round. The pronouncer will say the word and you may ask for a definition, sentence using the word or the word's origin. The contestant must clearly say each letter in the correct order. Misspells a word will result in elimination, signaled by a clear 'beep'. The judge decides if the word is spelled correctly and their decision is final." He emphasized the last word. "Please note what you cannot ask for, Root words, Alternate definition, Pronunciation broken down by syllables, and pluralizing the word it is not allowed. You may also be asked to give the meaning of a word or use it correctly in a sentence. For the first round, each student will face fifteen words, followed by ten in the second, and the final five for those who advanced. Let the competition begin."
The hush fall over the hall, every eyes fixed on the stage. I could feel my heart hammering against my ribs, a frantic drumbeat against my rising anxiety. I can do this, I repeated silently.
"Contestant number one," the host announced, his voice clear and resonate.
"Spell the word, Acquiesce and what does it mean?"
"Acquiesce is spelled, A-c-q-u-i-e-s-c-e," the first contestant said, her voice a little shaky. "And it means to accept something reluctantly but without protest."
The judge paused, his expression neutral.
"Correct."
"Contestant number two, spell the word, Vociferous."
"V-o-c-i-f-e-r-o-u-s."
"Correct."
The round continued, the tension in the room ebbing and flowing with each correctly and incorrectly spelled word, until it was Maisie's turn.
"Contestant number fourteen, spell the word Quixotic."
"Q-u-i-x-o-t-i-c." Her voice was steady, confident.
"And what does it mean?"
"Exceeding idealistic, unrealistic, and impractical."
"Correct."
Then it was my turn, my breath caught in my throat. "Contestant number twenty-one, spell the word juxtaposition." My palm were definitely sweaty now.
"J-u-x-t-p-o-s-i-t-i-o-n." My voice was surprisingly steady.
"And what does it mean?"
"The fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect."
"Correct."
"Contestant number twenty-two, spell the word Parsimonious."
"P-a-r-s-i-m-o-n-i-o-u-s"
After what felt like an eternity, but was actually just two hours, the first round came to an end. "This marks the end of round one," the host announced. "The contestants will now have ten minutes break, while the judge tally the results for the next round."
I didn't expect the competition to be this pressuring, I thought, making my way from the podium to the audience seats.
"Xverna! My darling, you did well," my dad said, his smile beaming.
Mum grabbed me, pressing me to her chest as if trying to squeeze the life out of me. "Mom I can't breathe!" I gasp, but she only increased her grip.
"What an intelligent baby l have here," she murmured finally releasing me.
I spotted Maisie standing near the edge of the crowd. "Maisie! over here!" I called out waving. "You were amazing earlier."
"Thanks," she said, managing a small smile, she playfully punching me. "You did well too."
"These are my parents," I said gesturing to Mom and Dad. "Mom, Dad, this is Maisie."
"Hi Mr. Black, Hi Mrs. Black." Maisie greeted offering a slight curtsy.
"Hello Maisie," Dad replied, his smile warm. "You were fantastic up there."
"Thank you, sir."
"So, you are Maisie," Mom said, her eyebrows subtly raised as she looked at me with amusement.
"Mom, No!" I exclaimed, a blush creeping up my neck. She chuckled.
"Nice meeting you. I've heard a lot about you."
"Thank you, Ma'am," She replied, glancing at me and my mom.
"Maisie?" A soft, melodious voice, unfamiliar to me, drift through the crowd.
"Mom! You came!" Maisie exclaimed, her face lighting up with excitement as she rushed to embrace, a slim elegant woman. "When did you arrive? I didn't see you."
"I've been here from the start," her mother replied, her voice refined.
"Thank you for coming. Mom."
" Maisie? Who are they?" Maisie's mother asked.
"Please meet my mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Fatima Ayomide," Maisie said quickly, a hint of nervousness in her voice " Mom, this is my friend Xverna Black and her parents Mr and Mrs Black."
But Fatima did nothing, her gazed fixed on us with unreadable intensity. The silence stretched, becoming increasingly awkward.
Finally, mom stepped forward, her hands stretched out. "Nice to meet you, Mrs Ayomide."
"Hmmm." That was her only responses before she turned and walked past my mom, leaving her hand hanging in the air.
"Why is she so rude?" My mom murmured, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"I'm so sorry, Mrs Black." Maisie said, making a sorry face as you run hurried after her mother.
"Aww, what a sweet girl. How come she's that sweet and she has that for a mother?"
"Mrs Ayomide, you graced us with your present," Principal said.
"It's nothing, principal," she replied, her tone dismissive.
"What do you mean, It's nothing?" he chuckled nervously.
"All contestants should come over to the podium," the host announced.
"Is it 10 minutes already? Mrs Ayomide, please come this way. I will prepare a better seat for you," the principal directed her.
"If you should hear your name, means you have been eliminated. By the end of the last name." Neither my name nor Maisie's name was called.
The second round commence and ended, we had survived. A brief five minutes break followed before the last round.
"This is it," the host announced, his voice filled with dramatic flair. "This moment will determine our final winner from these excellent contestants that have matched through the intense pressure of this competition. Maisie, Number fourteen, Bright Number six, Jane Number fifteen, Xverna Number twenty-one, and Jude Number four, please remain on the podium. The remaining contestants, thank you for your participation."
"Number four, spell the word. Chiaroscuro"
"C-h-i-a-r-o-s-c-u-r-o"
"What is the meaning and is it a noun, verb or adjective?"
"Meaning, the treatment of light and shade in drawing and painting. It's an adjective."
"Correct."
"Number fourteen, spell the word Harbinger."
"H-a-r-b-i-n-g-e-r, harbinger."
"Is it a noun, verb or adjective?"
"A noun."
"Correct."
"Number fifteen, spell the word Immutable."
"I-m-m-u-t-a-b-l-e"
"What's the meaning."
Number fifteen, Jane, remained silent, her face pale with concentration. Several seconds ticked by.
"Beep_Beep," the sound of elimination echoed through the hall, "number fifteen your time is up."
"Number four, spell the word Vicissitude."
"V-i-c-i-s-s-i-t-u-d-e, Vicissitude."
"What is the meaning?"
"Change of circumstances, typically one that's unwelcomed or unpleasant."
"Correct."
We were then asked additional, challenging words. Maisie had difficulty spelling two correctly.
"Number twenty-one, spell the word Antediluvian."
"Please come again," I asked, not quite catching the pronunciation.
"Antediluvian"
"A-n-t-i-d-i-l-u-v-i-a-n"
"Beep_beep," the sound was sharp and final "wrong." My heart sank.
"Number six,spell the word Esoteric."
"E-s-o-t-e-r-i-c, Esoteric."
"Correct."
After the extra questions, the third round concluded. A tense thirty minutes passed before, the host returned to the podium.
"Now comes the part we've all been waiting on edge for, THE RESULTS." The hall was silent, every breathr held. "These three students have demonstrated an exceptional spelling prowess in today's competition. Please give a final round of applause for Maisie Ayomide, Xverna Black, and Jude Femi!"
The hall erupted in applause and cheers.
"And now," the host continued, drawing out suspense, "the first position goes to...." the host kept repeating.
what is wrong with this man? Will he just say it already? I thought, my nerves on edge.
"Jude Femi!"
"what? Jude!" Maisie whispered, her face a mask of disbelief. "It can't be. I should have won."
Oh, that's the boy from earlier, the one who kept explaining and making examples? I murmured.
"Second place go to... Xverna Black."
"What! Me?" My jaw dropped. "Oh my God. Thank you," I stammered, accepting the oversized cheque and a bag of gadget, a wave of disbelief and elation washing over me.
"And the third position goes to... Maisie Ayomide."
Maisie, stared blankly at the audience, her expression as if her world has been turned upside-down. Tears welled in her eyes as she reluctantly walked forward to collect her cheque. Then without a word, she turned and ran out of the auditorium.
"Maisie!" I called after her. I saw her mother walking out. An angry set to her face.
After, the award ceremony, I searched for Maisie, but she was nowhere to be found.
Could she have gone home? I wondered, walking back towards the hall where my parents where waiting. Jude was standing near the entrance, his gaze fixed on me.
"Hey, Xverna," he said softly.
"Hey." I replied, a little unnerved by his intense stare.
"You are amazing earlier."
"Thank you." I walk past him, walking towards my parents. Looking back he was still there staring at me as if trying to steal my soul. I frowned looking back at my parents.
"Xverna, what is it?" Dad asked, noticing my expression.
"There's a boy over there, staring at me in a weird way."
"Who?" Mom asked, her eyes scanning the crowd.
"Over there." I pointed, but he was gone. He was there not quite long, staring like a fool, did he get bored? Looks like he left.
"Are you sure?" Mom asked, her voice slightly low.
"Yes," I replied, trying to reassure my mother. But I could still feel stares at my direction, causing the hair at the back of my neck to stand.
Later that day, after we arrived home, mom microwaved the celebratory lunch, she had prepared that morning.
"Let's celebrate our beautiful daughter, for taking second position!" Mom was still talking when Ben drew my attention.
"Xverna, why didn't you take first position?"
"I tried, but there was someone who tried harder than me."
"That's a lie, you're not intelligent enough, that's why." Bearing his eyes at me. Seeing my annoyance, he immediately ran to my mom.
"Mom!" Mom and Dad were laughing at our antics around the dining table.