January 15th. Monday, 10:05 AM.
The new semester had finally begun. The first years were back in their homeroom classes, and the voices that filled the classroom were back. Today's schedule was a short one, with one homeroom and then a lecture for all the first years at noon. Every class will be together in a lecture hall for the first time. What will the lecture be about? No student knew exactly. However, after that lecture, their day was done. It was a light day for the first day back for the first years. Tomorrow is when the semester actually starts. Today was just an introduction and a day for everyone to see each other again and get all their excitement out.
Ms Green was sitting at her desk and did a quick glance around her class after her computer switched on. It sounded like everyone was seated, as it was quieter than usual.
"I was wondering why it was quiet", Ms Green said, seeing two empty seats next to one another. "Where's Malakai and Delilah?".
Heads instinctively turned to the back, where the empty seats were. A few people already noticed they weren't here, but they turnt their heads to Malakai and Delilah's friends to get an answer.
"They've gone on a road trip", William called out.
"A road trip? Just the two of them?" Ms Green asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, someone from 1-E joined them", William added.
"1-E..." Ms Green mumbled to herself thoughtfully. "When are they coming back?".
"They'll be here for the lecture. Malakai said they were half an hour away", David said, sitting at the desk in front of Ms Green.
"Hmm. Why did they go on a road trip?" Ms Green curiously asked.
"They came back a week earlier and had nothing to do", David replied. "So they decided to go on a road trip".
"You wanna see a picture, Ms?" Lucas excitedly said, grinning and already taking out his phone.
Before Ms Green could reply, Lucas was already holding his phone to her. Ms Green leaned closer to get a better look at the picture. The picture was a selfie of Malakai in the driver's seat, Nada smiling in the back, and Delilah fast asleep, wrapped in a blanket, in the passenger seat.
"Hehehe", Ms Green giggled. "I didn't know Malakai and Delilah were close with that girl", she said, referring to Nada.
"That's one of the few people who's actually friends with Malakai", David said flatly.
"At least there are other people who like him", Ms Green slyly said. She leaned back in her chair. "Today is just an introduction back into the semester, so there's not that much to teach. I'll start when I finish checking some emails, which I should've done in the break", she regretfully said. "In the meantime, you can talk to each other. Just don't be too loud, please".
The noise rapidly increased as everyone wanted to talk to the person next to them. Conversations sparking from every corner.
"I wanna go on a road trip", William said, sinking into his seat. "Imagine the six of us in a car. That would be fun as hell".
"Yeah, we should do that during the next", Benjamin replied. "But why are you sounding like that? Didn't you have fun during your break?".
"Nah, I did. Being with my siblings was fun", William said. "I just wish the break was longer, so we could do more".
Benjamin smirked, "Think we all wanted the break to be longer".
On the right side of the classroom.
"How was your break, Ray?" Emily asked, leaning towards Ray's desk.
"It was good", Ray answered, though his tone was neutral. "The first two weeks were nice and relaxing, but I was bored near the end".
"Bored?" Emily tilted her head.
"I'm an only child. I didn't have anything to do", Ray lifted his shoulders.
"Oh".
"I've got no siblings. So it was just me in the house most of the days. Both my parents were working during the day, so I was alone most of the time", Ray explained. "I couldn't get a part-time job either".
"Didn't you hang out with your friends?" Emily asked.
"Yeah, a few of my friends from high school", Ray said. "But they have their own lives. I can't bother them every day".
"Do those guys have siblings?" Emily asked, pointing to the different parts of the class.
"Yeah, all of them have siblings", Ray replied, turning his head to look at each of them. "William has five younger siblings. Three brothers and two sisters. Benjamin has an older brother and sister, and a younger brother. Malakai has a younger brother and sister. Lucas has one older brother. David has two younger sisters and an older sister".
Emily was taken aback by the information overload.
"Whoa..."
"Oh, sorry. I didn't realise I was talking that much", Ray noticed, apologising with his hands out.
"No, it's okay", Emily replied, adjusting her glasses. "I can tell you really care about your friends".
Ray rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed, "...Yeah".
A couple of rows in front of them.
"Mmmmpphh", Tanisha stretched. "I wish we had another week. I'm not ready".
"Another week?" Maria giggled, covering her smile. "I don't need another week. I'm ready. I can't wait to start".
In the last week of Maria's break, her agent got back to her and managed to land her a job. A photoshoot. Maria did the photoshoot a few days ago, so she was feeling herself right now. Obviously, she'd done photoshoots before, but this was the first time she was feeling this confident and motivated after one.
"Mmm mmm, check you ooouutt", Tanisha teased, happy seeing her friend shining. "If that's how you're feeling, no one's stopping you".
Maria's smile didn't stop. "What about you?" she asked. "Don't you think you can climb the leaderboard?".
"Me? No way", Tanisha replied, shaking her head. "I know I can raise my rank a little, but not like you. I know my limits".
"You're underestimating yourself. I know you can get into the top ten", Maria said, trying to give her confidence.
"I hope you're right", Tanisha said with a small laugh. "Who knows? Maybe luck is on my side this semester".
Maria smiled, "I hope luck is on my side too. I feel like we'll both need it this semester".
10:34 AM
"Yawn.... I didn't expect to come back here and see you have this type of haircut".
"It's only a haircut".
"Yeah, but I didn't picture this haircut on you".
"You're overreacting. I haven't buzzed my head".
"Yaawn... I know. I'm just saying it's different".
The same lively conversations were happening in the 1-B classroom. Their introductory lesson had finished early, and Ms Harper let them sit wherever they liked and let them talk. Luke and Lorenzo were sitting beside each other, having their own conversation, while there was commotion on the other side of the class.
"It's a good haircut. I prefer this hairstyle compared to the other one", Luke said, not sounding convincing even though he meant it.
"Thanks", Lorenzo mumbled, embarrassed to meet his eyes.
Lorenzo's hair didn't drastically change. All he got was a burst fade and trimmed the top of his hair a little. He didn't particularly take care of his hairstyle before. He kinda let his hair take its own form because he didn't really care. But after evaluating himself in the mirror over the break, he wanted to try something different. Something that wouldn't make him stand out, but something noticeable. He was tempted to get a buzz cut and start over, but on the day of his haircut, he fell back on that idea.
"What did you do over the break?" Lorenzo asked, changing the topic.
"Sleep", Luke said, deadpan.
Lorenzo stared at him, waiting for more. "...What else did you do?".
"I did other things, but. Yawn... I mostly slept", Luke replied, not bothering to further explain.
Lorenzo kept his judgmental stare on Luke. He was more concerned than anything.
"What about you? My life's boring. It looks like you did a lot", Luke said, resting his head on his palm. "Did you hang with Ryan?".
Lorenzo glanced over at Ryan across the room, surrounded by people. Lorenzo wasn't with Ryan because a lot of people wanted to talk to Ryan, and Lorenzo didn't want to be awkwardly next to Ryan while he dealt with the crowd.
"Yeah, a couple of times", Lorenzo replied, turning his head back to Luke. "He even got invited to visit our high school".
"Did you get invited?" Luke asked.
"No", Lorenzo replied. "I wouldn't have gone anyway", he said, shrugging his shoulders and looking away.
Luke smirked at his prideful response. "Ryan must've been the man when he went back".
"Not really".
"What? How?" Luke looked at him, surprised.
"My high school is elite. The standards are really high", Lorenzo said. "Ryan was one of the top students, but he wasn't the best".
"Was he in the top three?" Luke guessed.
"Nah, top ten… maybe top fifteen", Lorenzo said, tilting his head up.
"Damn", Luke was so amazed that he didn't have the urge to yawn. "Did any of the top students come here?".
"Nope. They thought this was a waste of time", Lorenzo said. "Their abilities had better use elsewhere", he continued, remembering and repeating a quote one of those guys said. "It's a good thing none of them applied here. They would've filled 1-A".
Luke's eyebrows were raised. "Sounds intense. How does your high school standard compare to the academy's?" he curiously asked.
Lorenzo's eyelids raised, and he rested his head on his palm. The question made him think.
"It's hard to say. Everyone's goals are different. At my high school, everyone was aiming for high grades, but here I don't even know what people are aiming for", Lorenzo replied, looking at his desk. "In terms of academics, my high school has a higher standard, but this academy probably takes everything else".
"So would those guys really fill 1-A?" Luke asked.
"...Yeah", Lorenzo replied, unsure. "I can't picture those guys in any other class".
"Based on what you've said, I think they would smash the exams and studies, but the challenges they would struggle with", Luke said.
"Probably", Lorenzo said, looking away. "I don't know. This academy is weird".
"Yawwwn. You're not wrong", Luke said with a little smile. "It's weird, but I like it. I think this semester will be better than the first one".
"Yeah".
Lorenzo's flat response killed the conversation. That habit of stopping a conversation was still there.
"Yawn.... By the way, have you practised looking more friendly?".
"Huh?".
At the same time, another classroom had the same situation. Their brief introduction had ended, and everyone was sitting wherever they wanted and talking to each other. A complete contrast to how it was at the start of the year.
"Your brother told you what the next challenge is?" Frank asked.
"Yeah, he told me what it is", Alexander replied flatly.
"How does he know what it is?".
"He said it was the same challenge the whole three years he was there", Alexander said. "The exact same challenge when they returned for the second semester".
"Will it really be the same challenge?" Frank questioned, sceptical. "Nearly everything has been different for us".
"It will be the same", Alexander confidently said. "The challenge has a good structure and premise. It would be a waste if they changed it".
"Oh", Frank still had his doubts. He trusted Alexander, but not the academy. "Did your brother help you?"
Alexander waited a little before he replied, "Yeah. He did".
"Are you going to use his help?" Frank looked at Alexander's eyes, which were blankly staring at his desk.
"I doubt it", Alexander arrogantly replied, turning to look out the window.
"Why? Is his help not good?".
"He got the maximum amount of points you can get in the challenge, so it's not bad", Alexander replied. "But, I don't need it".
"If you're not going to use it, can I have it?" Frank asked, tempted by the help.
"If you want it, you can have it", Alexander replied like he was giving away something he didn't care about.
Frank smiled, "Thanks".
He looked around the class to see his classmates and what they were doing. Everyone looked the same. No one went through any major changes. A few haircuts, but that's it.
"Isabella hasn't talked to us as much", Frank said, seeing Isabella chatting with the other girls at the front.
"So?" Alexander asked, still staring out the window.
"It's just... at the start of the year, the three of us were always together", Frank said. "We were like a trio".
"Why does it matter if she doesn't talk to us?" Alexander asked, finally looking at Frank again, wanting to see where this conversation was going.
"It doesn't matter. I just thought us three as a trio was kinda cool", Frank said, awkwardly. "Don't you think?".
"It doesn't make a difference to me", Alexander shrugged. "I didn't see us as a trio".
"Does that mean you see us two as a duo?" Frank asked, trying to joke with him.
"No. We don't need to be a duo", Alexander replied. "You're my friend", he said, without looking at Frank.
"Isn't Isabella your friend?".
"No, I barely knew anything about her", Alexander said without hesitation.
"Ouch", Frank replied, wincing at his brutal response. "A whole semester went by and you didn't make one new friend. Don't you feel lonely?".
"Why would I feel lonely? I have you", Alexander said. "I don't need other friends".
Frank liked what he said, but hated it at the same time. He knew Alexander was capable of doing everything by himself. However, Frank wanted Alexander to have fun and enjoy himself, not just win everything.
"Hopefully something changes this semester".
Meanwhile, near the front of the class.
"Isabella, your hair is glowing!" Anya said, leaning in and inspecting her hair. "Did you dye it again?".
"Yeah. I wasn't sure if I should let the colour fade out or dye it again, but my mom convinced me to dye it again", Isabella replied, brushing a few silver strands with her fingers.
"Silver hair suits you. You should keep it", Eve complimented her.
"Yeah, and when you grow old and get grey hair, we won't be able to tell", Bri joked.
The girls burst into laughter. Isabella covered her mouth, smiling along.
"You guys ready for this semester?" she asked when the laughter died down.
"I don't know. Last semester was low-key exhausting", Ashley replied, looking at her nails.
"Yeah, and it's only gonna get harder now", Anya whined.
"Honestly, just get me to the end of the year in one piece and I'll be happy", Eve said, reclining in her chair.
"In one piece? You, Bri, Isabella and Luna are in the top ten", Ashley said. "I don't think you need to worry about that".
"I don't know how I made it into the top ten", Bri admitted, shaking her head. "I barely did anything".
"Same", Luna added.
"Luna, you're the girl with the most points in our year", Anya said, pointing at her.
"Am I?" Luna questioned, having no clue.
"Well, you and Destiny have the same amount of points", Eve said, looking at the leaderboard on her phone.
Both Luna and Destiny were on 5,269 points. Filling the 4th and 5th positions.
At the mention of Destiny's name, the girls, one by one, turned their heads back to look at Destiny, who was seated at the back of the classroom. Destiny was sitting alone with her hands on the desk occupied by her phone.
"I kinda feel sorry for her", Anya whispered, seeing Destiny on her own.
"Same. No one likes her here", Eve added.
"She hasn't done anything wrong", Luna quietly said. "She's just really... extroverted".
"She is extroverted, but I don't think that's why we don't like her", Bri replied.
Destiny could sense some eyes on her, so she looked up from her phone and saw the girls looking at her near the front. She smirked, slowly raised her hand and waved with just her fingers.
"I take it back, I don't feel sorry for her", Anya said, turning away, getting triggered by her wave.
"Yeaah, I don't think being alone bothers her", Eve smiled, seeing the funny side to it.
The rest of the girls stopped looking at Destiny, except one girl. Isabella kept her eyes locked onto Destiny. Destiny kept her little smirk while Isabella had a straight face. Destiny had an idea of why Isabella was staring her down, and she didn't mind. She liked it. The two kept staring at each other until Destiny blew a kiss to Isabella, which broke her. Isabella grinned at her before turning away.
Luna noticed Isabella grinning, "Did she say something to you?".
"Nah", Isabella shook her head. "I'm just a little excited. I want this semester to start already".
11:54 AM
"We're gonna be late".
"It's calm, man. We've got time".
"We don't even know where the lecture hall is".
"We do. We've got the academy map on our phone".
"No! She's not directing us. We'll get lost and end up missing the lecture".
"I don't mind missing the lecture, I can't lie".
"Same".
"Oh my… Please, someone get me away from these two!".