《Shadow under Plato》
Chapter 01 - Belief is an all-consuming beast whose maw engulfs the light
Leo
King¡¯s College seemed like any other school; perhaps a little more grandiose than most, and too sickly with sweaty anticipation. For Leo, it was the embodiment of everything that was wrong with the floating city of Plato and its oh-so-brilliant citizens, who imagined themselves as saviours of a dying world. But for the hundred-and-something fresh and nervous smiles that were filing into the great hall it was just a school.
Granted, it had a reputation. King¡¯s College was the best, and only allowed the best in. Only let the best out in one piece. However, just as the clouds separated their city from the Earth¡¯s surface far below, that reputation clouded a much seedier truth.
A truth which Leo was here to find. A truth that had sent Milli to the Hell that lurked below.
Reaching into a pocket by his heart, inside the fold of his jacket, Leo produced a thin device that fit into the palm of his hand. It was a device which connected him to the city, to all the knowledge stored beneath its protective dome; a device that couldn¡¯t give him the answers he was desperately searching for. For the thousandth time today he tapped on it and the screen lit up in photorealistic colours. It was waiting for him.
Don¡¯t let them take me. I¡¯m scared.
He blacked out the screen and squeezed his eyes shut. Stop thinking about it, you cat! You know what¡¯s coming up and you need to stay in control. No matter how many times you read Milli¡¯s last message, you won¡¯t learn what happened to her and it won¡¯t bring her back. So put the meus away, act normally, and don¡¯t bug up the entrance test.
Stuffing his meus in his pocket, Leo took three deep breaths, just as he had been instructed to do when his anger threatened to consume him. When his eyes shuttered open, he wore a relaxed smile.
The hall was speckled with a rainbow of foreign uniforms. At least, foreign to King¡¯s College. Students stood anxiously in colour-coded clusters, unsure where to go or what to do. Their instructions, delivered via message, had said only to, ¡°Wait in the Great Hall.¡± There weren¡¯t enough of them to fill the vacuous space¡ªthere never would be¡ªso everyone had settled on a position near the centre of the room, between the human-tall screens that stood sentinel on the room¡¯s flanks. Standing before one of the screens was a black-haired girl, with her back as straight as a switch, hands clasped firmly behind her back, and pride oozing off her.
She was alone, just like him.
Was it pity, or a sense of familiarity? Or maybe he wanted to bring her down a level. He didn¡¯t know his feelings anymore. Aside from rage, of course. He had no reason to tell anyone about the entrance test¡ªnone of them knew about it as it had never been divulged publicly to the bright-eyed students. Every last one of them believed they¡¯d discovered the impossible after receiving their invitations to King¡¯s College. If Leo said nothing, he would have been the only student prepared for a test. It would have guaranteed his place.
Leo knew it was a mistake to help, but that¡¯s what the school wanted. Competition. Stepping on others in your quest to the heavens. The idea sickened him. Milli would hate him. His feet dragged him across the tiled floor and he placed himself a comfortable distance beside the proud girl.
¡°Impressive, isn¡¯t it?¡± Leo said, nodding towards the screen.
The black-haired girl considered him sideways and gave a stiff nod. ¡°It most definitely is,¡± she said. Her voice would have sounded sweet if she hadn¡¯t spoken with the inflection of a synthesiser. She went on, ¡°In fact, to be standing within the same hall that our great President once stood is more than impressive. It is a symbol of our potential. There is no greater opportunity for us to rise up and save our decaying world.¡±
As if to ram home that arrogant sentiment, a photo of President Li cycled onto the screen. Beside it was a quote: There is no institution nor program that can prepare students for their role in saving our only Earth as thoroughly as Euripides. Elsewhere on the screen¡ªor the notice board, given its usage¡ªwere more promotional materials. There were pompous student accolades, vapid praises from other renowned alumni, and monotonal records of the school¡¯s exaggerated contributions to the world. All so enticing; all so normal. All so in need of dismantling.
This is going to be fun, Leo thought, and was unable to hold back a smirk.
¡°Your name?¡± he asked.
The girl faced him front on and dipped her head. ¡°Morgan. From Augustus De Morgan.¡±
¡°Leo.¡± He neglected his namesake along with the customary nodding that every Platonian fussed over. To Leo¡¯s amusement, Morgan¡¯s reaction was immediate. Her brows furrowed and her hands fidgeted while clasped behind her back.
The two couldn¡¯t be any less alike. Morgan¡¯s hair was black as dark matter and cut in a perfect bowl around her shoulders, while Leo¡¯s was a chlorine brown, unkempt, and barely under regulation length. She had a long face and dark eyes to match her hair, while Leo¡¯s cheeks were rounder and his chin was pronounced. His eyes were mismatched¡ªthe left hazel, the right green. Morgan wore a black, high collared coat with blue accents while Leo¡¯s blazer was a blinding red. And unlike him, there were many others in the hall wearing the same uniform as Morgan. Leo noted that she was not conversing with any of the students from her school.
The only thing we have in common is that we¡¯re different, he thought.
¡°But don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange?¡± Leo continued. He gestured towards the enormous screen. ¡°The promotions, I mean.¡±
Morgan frowned at the notice board. ¡°I cannot see why they would be. It seems natural for King¡¯s College to wish to exhibit their achievements.¡±
¡°But aren¡¯t we supposed to be the next class? That¡¯s why we¡¯re here: we¡¯re waiting to be admitted into King¡¯s College. Why boast to your own students?¡±
Morgan¡¯s frown deepened, a comically human look at odds with her robotic demeanour. ¡°I am not sure I follow.¡±
¡°Look around. Can you see the uniform of King¡¯s College?¡±
She scanned the hall. ¡°No. In fact, there is nobody from King¡¯s College here at all.¡±
Leo nodded. ¡°And check this out.¡±
He tapped on one of the boxes arrayed on the notice board. The box expanded so that it was almost as large as a human and each letter was as tall as Leo¡¯s hand. It read simply, Who will be the next Class Euripides? The emblem of King¡¯s College was beside it: a golden six-pointed fig leaf whose points each fractalled into six more leaves, which fractalled again, on and on until the screen lacked the resolution to display its intricacy. Wreathing the emblem were the words, Aeternit¨¡tem per Scientia¡ªfrom knowledge, eternity.
¡°Notice something strange about this message?¡± Leo asked with a grin. He didn¡¯t wait for a response. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been cycling out like the others. It¡¯s like they¡¯re trying to tell us something.¡±
¡°Well, that is of great significance,¡± said Morgan. ¡°To be in Class Euripides is the goal of any student of King¡¯s College. Oh, and if you are trying to deter me from entering Class Euripides so that you may take my place, you are not succeeding.¡±
Leo clicked his tongue. Great. She¡¯s one of those types that sees everyone else as competition. He rounded on Morgan. ¡°How long have we been here? An hour?¡±
Morgan pulled her meus out of her pocket and opened the screen. ¡°I arrived here one hour and twenty-nine minutes ago.¡± She tilted her nose to the heavens. ¡°In fact, I was the first to arrive. The notice board here even greeted me with a special message which said, ¡®For those who are quick of thought, opportunity awaits.¡¯¡±
¡°Right,¡± said Leo, now getting real frustrated with this girl that was as dense as a black hole. That message she had mentioned tickled the back of his mind, urging for attention, but he was too fixated on proving his point to give it thought. ¡°And how long has it been since we were supposed to be here?¡±
¡°Fifty-seven¡ªno, eight minutes.¡±
¡°And we¡¯ve spent that whole time waiting for someone, anyone, to tell us what to do.¡± Leo leaned in, close enough to be heard with his voice lowered but distant enough to not be rude. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that seem strange?¡±
Morgan frowned at him. ¡°I am sure there is a perfectly reasonable explanation.¡±
The corner of Leo¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Alright, think of it like this. They¡¯re conspicuously placing all of these promotions before the newest students¡ªwho are still in foreign uniforms, of course. They¡¯ve left us in a room where these promotions are the only thing we can interact with. And as part of these promotions,¡± Leo tapped the notice screen, ¡°they¡¯re telling us that there will be a new Class Euripides.¡±
¡°I see,¡± said Morgan, her eyes narrowing. Clearly she did not!
Leo¡¯s smile slipped entirely. Here he was trying to help this cat while she decrypted his words into whatever programming language her brain functioned in. ¡°Then answer this,¡± he said, unable to keep his frustration from his voice. ¡°How would a new Class Euripides be selected?¡±
Morgan put a hand to her chin. ¡°Perhaps some kind of test?¡±
Finally! But at this rate she might never understand until it¡¯s too late. Leo gestured towards the room. ¡°Exactly. And we have all of these students who haven¡¯t been assigned a class.¡±
¡°What, so like, they¡¯re going to give us a test or something?¡±
Both Morgan and Leo turned to where the new voice sounded from, saw nothing, then looked down. Sitting cross-legged beside the notice board was a short boy with straight black hair tied in a stub at the nape of his neck and near-black thin eyes. His meus was in his hands, held in landscape and with both of his thumbs hovering over the screen. One side of his shirt had come untucked but he paid it no mind.
¡°That does make sense,¡± said Morgan, nodding. ¡°A test is an effective way of determining someone¡¯s capabilities. Though whatever subject it may be on, I am confident I will do well.¡±
¡°Yeah, thanks,¡± the sitting boy grumbled. ¡°Just give the box a shake while you¡¯re there.¡±
¡°Pardon?¡± said Morgan.
The sitting boy shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t study.¡±
Morgan straightened up. ¡°May I ask your name?¡±
Great, here we go again, Leo grumbled. Always formalities. Never a sense of urgency.
¡°Alan,¡± said the boy. ¡°Like Alan Turing.¡±
¡°I am Morgan, from Augustus De Morgan.¡±
¡°I¡¯m Leo.¡± He waved a hand vaguely. ¡°So as I was saying, a test to see if someone can get into Class Euripides. But what happens if¡ª¡±
¡°Woah, is that a fresh Prospect?¡± Alan cried, pointing.
From the distant entrance, striding towards the miscoloured pack of students, was a tall girl with the longest hair Leo had ever seen: straight and blonde and flowing right down past her hips, and tied back with a tattered strip of blue cloth. But if her hair was an anomaly amongst Platonians, then her garment was an even greater curiosity. She wore the pure white robes known as tabula rasa. It was the clothing that young children wore before being given their primary school¡¯s uniform. It was the mark of a person with no place, of a human that was completely dependent on others.
Sure enough, the room was abuzz with equal parts curiosity and incredulity. If the Prospect had noticed she didn¡¯t show it. A smile was alloyed to her face and her attention was given entirely to the dark and even-taller boy beside her. The two were conversing softly: the tall boy would occasionally point at a display cabinet or a complex piece of architecture, and the white-robed Prospect would nod attentively, drinking in every word.
¡°Impressive,¡± said Morgan. ¡°For someone to pass the Ascension test at this age, they must be quite talented.
¡°Not just that,¡± said Alan, his meus now abandoned in his lap. ¡°She made it into King¡¯s College, of all places.¡±
Not yet, Leo thought, annoyed. Then said, ¡°More importantly, if she was talented enough to receive an offer from King¡¯s College, then you have to wonder how Plato only managed to find her in her mid-teens. That¡¯s a little too unlikely, don¡¯t you think?¡± He settled a stern look onto Alan, but the dark-eyed boy didn¡¯t seem to be listening. So Leo shifted to Morgan whose gaze flicked from Leo back to the Prospect.
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¡°Regardless,¡± Morgan intoned, ¡°there is one correct course of action: it should be our duty to welcome her.¡±
Though Morgan held her chin high in an attempt to portray confidence and purpose, a nervous twitch in the corner of her mouth betrayed her. Leo couldn¡¯t help but find that amusing. Regardless, she was wrong about approaching the Prospect.
It was all so unsettling. Nobody to greet them, notice boards promoting Class Euripides, an eerily long wait, and now a girl, who by all rights should not have existed, that shows up an hour after everyone else. No matter how Leo juggled these facts around, he could only draw one conclusion: if anyone was going to make it into Class Euripides it would be this Prospect. But then that meant¡ª
Leo didn¡¯t have a chance to complete the thought. Morgan was already marching towards the Prospect and Alan was scrambling up off the floor to catch her.
His fists balling up, Leo stared after them. Idiots. Like jumping into the ocean without testing for toxins.
In a brief moment of clarity, Leo realised he¡¯d lost control of his anger. He unclenched his fists and took a long, deep breath, trying not to think about how tight his collar felt around his neck.
Fine. Go pretend this is a stroll through the sky. I shouldn¡¯t have helped you in the first place.
He turned back to the notice board to close the message he¡¯d opened, and his breath caught. He hadn¡¯t realised before, but there in a fine print, nestled beneath the oversized Class Euripides text, was another message: Let your actions be heard where your voice cannot reach.
Leo let the words roll around in his head. Why was it here? What did it mean? The message¡¯s layout was far too conspicuous to be a simple mistake. It felt intentional, like they wanted someone to tap on this suspiciously placed box and see the suspiciously placed message.
Teeth gritted, he watched the Prospect¡¯s odd procession and Morgan¡¯s attempt to intercept, to meddle in things she refused to understand. This wasn¡¯t right. It was only meant to be a test. So why was this message here? Why allow a Prospect to take the entrance test? What was King¡¯s College planning? He had to warn them that something was amiss before¡ª
Before the same thing happens to them as what happened to Milli, he concluded.
His decision made, Leo jogged over and trailed Morgan, and together their footsteps echoed through the hall.
The robotic girl managed to intercept the Prospect and the tall boy before they could reach the gawking pack of students. The new arrivals both stopped and looked down at her, to which Morgan responded with a bob of her head.
¡°Greetings, Prospect,¡± she said stiffly. ¡°On behalf of everyone present, I would like to welcome you to King¡¯s College, the finest secondary school in all of Plato.¡± She touched her fingers to her sternum. ¡°My name is Morgan, from Augustus De Morgan.¡±
The Prospect¡¯s smile broadened. With her hands clasped before her, she bowed until she was almost horizontal. Her hair slipped off her back and settled onto the tiled floor. ¡°My name is Lumia,¡± she said. Leo had the impression she was singing her words.
Lumia straightened up suddenly, her expression a perfect display of concern, right down to the tension around her crystal blue eyes and the hand resting lightly on her lips. ¡°Oh,¡± she chimed, then spun around to the taller boy and whispered in his ear. The tall boy, who remained a step behind Lumia, whispered something back. Lumia smiled, turned back to Morgan, smoothed out her tabula rasa, and clasped her hands before her.
¡°My name is taken from a fruit,¡± Lumia said serenely.
Alan covered his mouth and stifled a laugh. Morgan looked completely dumbfounded. The tall boy dipped his shaved head and concerned himself with his shoes¡ªhe didn¡¯t exactly hide his blushing cheeks. Leo, who was standing to the side, was amused by the display. As far as he could tell, a single honest expression was yet to cross the Prospect¡¯s face, though it might have been the subtle bleariness in her eyes which gave that impression.
Seamlessly, Lumia turned to her companion. ¡°But where have my manners gone? This wonderful young man is¡ª¡±
To everyone¡¯s shock, the tall boy snapped to attention and threw them a rigid salute, fist over heart. ¡°Raphael, Student of, ah, King¡¯s College,¡± he corrected himself.
Again, Alan stifled a laugh. Lumia¡¯s smile faltered for a moment. Leo felt second hand embarrassment. Raphael, noticing all this, dropped his hand and let it hang awkwardly by his side.
¡°Yes, Raphael,¡± the girl with long hair said, resuming her explanation. ¡°We met at the door and, recognising that I was a Prospect, he offered so kindly to act as a guide.¡±
Morgan gave a nod and turned to Raphael. ¡°I understand. You were previously a student of a military school.¡± She gestured towards his brown, high collared coat and the golden emblem emblazoned on his chest.
¡°Ah, yeah,¡± Raphael stuttered, his thick black brows furrowed.
¡°Okay,¡± said Morgan, nodding.
Raphael nodded also.
Oh, for the love of knowledge.
Leo cleared his throat and everyone turned his way. ¡°So as I was saying earlier, it¡¯s likely that we¡¯re going to be taking an entrance test soon.¡±
¡°Ugh, this again,¡± said Alan, throwing a hand up in exasperation.
Leo rounded on him. ¡°Yes, this again.¡± He readdressed Lumia. ¡°Did they tell you anything about this test?¡±
Lumia¡¯s head tilted to the side. ¡°I am sorry, but I only today left quarantine. I am afraid that you would know a great deal more than me.¡±
They didn¡¯t tell her either? Leo pondered. Then what exactly is going on?
¡°Please do not mind him,¡± Morgan interjected. ¡°He has been rather persistent about there being a test for admission into Class Euripides. Personally, I believe the idea to be ridiculous. If there were a test then it would make sense for the school to inform us, would it not? Otherwise we would not be able to study for it.¡±
Leo gritted his teeth. Stupid. Dense. Damaged. Robot.
¡°Yeah,¡± said Alan. ¡°It kind of makes no sense that they¡¯d give us one test to determine something that important.¡±
¡°Apologies,¡± Lumia chimed. ¡°But what is Class Euripides?¡±
Morgan¡¯s eyes lit up and she stepped forward, her hand resting lightly on her sternum. ¡°Please, allow me to explain.¡± For the first time, her tone became more animated, though her cadence was still somewhat off. ¡°Class Euripides is not just a class, it is an opportunity! Calling the program ¡®advanced¡¯ would be like calling a correlation a causation. Only the brightest are accepted into Class Euripides, and everyone who has passed has gone on to make enormous contributions to Plato.¡±
¡°That sounds wonderful,¡± replied Lumia.
¡°It¡¯s really not,¡± Leo said tartly. Morgan¡¯s head whipped around and she stared lasers at him. Leo ignored her. ¡°Only three classes have ever passed in the one hundred and fifty years that the program has been running. But does anyone know what happened to the students who couldn¡¯t pass?¡±
They all exchanged confused looks, save for Raphael who was staring off to the side trying not to be noticed. Leo couldn¡¯t tell if it was his question that made them uncomfortable or him. Whatever. He had their attention, and not just them but also a crowd of onlookers who had gathered to gawk at Lumia. Their eyes were on him now. He raised his voice.
¡°We never hear about the students who failed Class Euripides. Are they all keeping their time in Class Euripides a secret, has nobody else been able to make the cut, or maybe¡ª¡±
¡°Alan! Is that you?¡±
Leo threw his head back in exasperation as a short girl bounced towards them, fixing her hazel eyes on Alan. She had a mass of redditsh-brown frizzy hair that was held back with a red patterned headband. Her blue blazer bared the same emblem as Alan¡¯s, and she wore a grey skirt that was rolled up just above her knees. She flashed a toothy grin.
¡°I barely recognised you with your hair tied back and, er,¡± the girl with the red headband looked Alan up and down, ¡°your uniform not a complete mess. Improvement, I guess?¡± She shrugged.
Alan scratched the back of his neck. ¡°Ah, yeah.¡±
¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me you got accepted?¡±
¡°You know, lots of stuff happened¡±
Seriously? Leo grumbled. Can you two just go somewhere else and talk? This is important.
¡°Hey.¡± The headband girl narrowed her eyes at Alan. ¡°Where were you this whole time?¡±
Alan glanced around the room, like a lab rat caught in a maze. Then he pointed towards the notice screen. ¡°Over there.¡±
The headband girl leaned in, and Alan avoided eye contact. ¡°Were you avoiding me?¡±
¡°No,¡± said Alan. The headband girl kept glaring. Then Alan faced her and threw his hands up in indignance. ¡°I wasn¡¯t!¡±
Unable to handle this any longer, Leo detached from the group and started pacing. They¡¯re socialising. Why are they socialising? They don¡¯t want to listen. They don¡¯t even want to think. Do they even care?
The headband girl grinned at Lumia. ¡°You¡¯re a Prospect, right? You¡¯re so pretty!¡±
Lumia beamed back. ¡°My thanks. You¡¯re rather beautiful yourself.¡±
¡°Pfft, I wish. I¡¯m Tock.¡± She threw her arms wide. ¡°How are you finding Plato? It¡¯s pretty amazing up here, right?¡±
¡°It is!¡± Lumia exclaimed. ¡°There¡¯s so much sunlight, so much to see. I was even given one of these.¡± She rifled through the folds in her tabula rasa and from it pulled a meus. She held it aloft with both hands, as though presenting some remarkable find. When she spoke next there was a rhythm to her words.
¡°It¡¯s quite amazing that everyone has their own device,
And the services provided seek only to entice!
I¡¯m simply astounded by such a marvellous design:
An interactive screen that rests within this palm of mine.
You can find what you seek with a few words and a short look,
And it¡¯s so much more efficient than cataloguing books.
Though in truth it¡¯s taken me some time to grow accustomed
To the unfamiliar layout and various functions.¡±
Once her speech had concluded, Lumia remained in that presenting pose and beamed at Tock. The shorter girl, however, stared at the meus with her jaw slack.
Alan scratched the back of his neck. ¡°Yeah, we know,¡± he said dryly. ¡°Everyone has one, even children. You need them to access everything around here.¡±
¡°Of course,¡± Lumia said, her brows furrowed but her smile never fading. ¡°Even children.¡±
She¡¯s not going to last, Leo decided. Look how excited she is to be here. She tries not to show it, but she loves it. Plato will break her, just like¡ªhe cut that thought off knowing that if he pursued it, he¡¯d only find misery. We need to be thinking this through. The whole scenario is suspicious. There was a message on the notice board that was definitely important. What if there are more clues? What if the test has already begun and we¡¯re being assessed on¡ªI don¡¯t know¡ªwhether we actually find the whole thing suspicious?
Standing off to the side, Morgan glowered as she observed the conversation. Drawing herself up, she stepped forward and placed herself between Tock and Lumia. ¡°Tock, was it? May I ask where that name is from.¡±
¡°Oh, you know,¡± Tock replied, fidgeting with her headband. ¡°I found it on the ground and thought I¡¯d keep it.¡±
Frowning, Morgan said, ¡°I see. I noticed also that your skirt is well above regulation.¡±
¡°Nah, it just came up a little because I¡¯ve been walking all day. Look.¡± She tugged on the sides of the skirt and dragged it down, but even so the hem barely reached her knees. She raised her hands to present her handiwork.
Morgan narrowed her eyes, which Tock met with her own frosty glare. They remained like that for a few seconds before Morgan conceded with a huff. ¡°And Alan,¡± she said, turning on him. ¡°Your shirt is untucked. That is clearly outside of regulation.¡±
Alan looked down at his shirt, then looked back up and shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re not in charge here.¡±
Leo zoned it out. His pacing grew more erratic and his anger curdled. They¡¯re so innocent. They¡¯ve never seen how messed up things can get around here. Just follow the rules and everything will be fine¡ªthat¡¯s how they think Plato works. Idiots! Milli never thought like that. She was brighter than all of them, and they threw her right off the Edge regardless. That could be them next.
¡°Take a look at Raphael,¡± Morgan said, gesticulating. ¡°He wears his uniform proudly, shaves his head as is advised, and never so much as complains about it.¡±
As Morgan spoke, Raphael slowly shuffled away until he was hiding behind Lumia. For her part, Lumia watched with a nervous smile.
¡°Why do you care?¡± spat Alan. ¡°We¡¯re not even going to be wearing this uniform for long.¡±
¡°Why?¡± cried Morgan. ¡°Because if we do not improve ourselves, if we are no better than those arrogant fools who left Earth in this sorry state hundreds of years ago, then we will have no chance of saving it.¡±
Leo came to a sudden halt and watched Morgan. His mouth hanging slightly open, his eyes wide, he stared at a girl with the same starry-eyed optimism, the same fiery tenacity that he had not seen in a long year. His hand settled on the pocket by his heart, upon his meus.
It could be her next.
His hands balling into fists, Leo bellowed into the room with abandon. ¡°Listen, all of you!¡±
The four students and one Prospect all stopped and stared at him aghast. Not only them, but every student in the hall had gone silent and gave him that same stare, like he had gone irrational. Maybe he had. He no longer cared; he no longer gave a damn about decorum and all these ridiculous formalities. This was important. Their lives were at stake.
¡°There will be a test, and you will need to pass to be accepted into King¡¯s College.¡±
Morgan rounded on him, scowling. ¡°Leo, for the last time, there has been no mention of a test taking place. If you are so certain, do you want to explain how you know about this test?¡±
¡°Because I knew a student who used to go here. She was the one who told me, even though it was against the rules.¡± Milli hadn¡¯t told him about the strange hints, however. That didn¡¯t matter. They needed to know.
Morgan lowered her chin and glared upwards at him. ¡°¡®Knew.¡¯ ¡®Used to.¡¯ And what exactly happened to this student?¡±
Leo opened his mouth then snapped it shut again. He knew he should tell them¡ªit was the quickest way to get them to believe¡ªbut not now, not while the wounds were still so fresh. Idiot. Robot. Why did you have to start using your head now, of all times?
¡°Alright, then check this out.¡± Leo pulled out his meus. The screen lit up as soon as its front-facing camera recognised his face, and Milli¡¯s final message flared onto the screen. His mouth twisting, Leo swiped it away and searched his mailbox. ¡°You all received the mail from King¡¯s College telling us to be here, right? The ¡®acceptance¡¯ message?¡± he added in a sarcastic tone.
¡°Leo, please,¡± whispered Lumia.
Her plea went beneath him. ¡°Here, let me read it to you. ¡®Congratulations, student. You have been invited to attend King¡¯s College on the ninth of January.¡¯¡± The emphasis was his own. Leo held his meus aloft. ¡°See, they don¡¯t actually tell us that we¡¯ve been enrolled, they just tell us to be here today. That¡¯s it!¡±
A murmur ran through the hall, concern and confusion taking hold. Morgan, however, put a hand to her chin and remained perfectly calm.
¡°Even so,¡± she said, ¡°that does not mean there will be a test today. Besides, we already took a number of tests to be accepted into King¡¯s College. Why would the school bother to bring us all the way out here only to throw a pop quiz at us and potentially send us back?¡±
Frustratingly, the talking grew louder as people seemed more receptive to Morgan¡¯s rational ideas. That¡¯s what they didn¡¯t understand: King¡¯s College was not rational.
¡°Because that¡¯s the way this school is,¡± said Leo, raising his voice to compete with the crowd. ¡°They don¡¯t want to pass all students, they only want the best. And they have this bugged up view of what it means to be the best: if you fail a test, you don¡¯t belong here or anywhere else on Plato!
¡°But here¡¯s the really choked up part.¡± Leo drifted away from the crowd so that he could hoard all the attention for himself. ¡°If you do really bad on this test, like completely mess it up, they don¡¯t just reject your application, they Descend you.¡±
The murmurs rose a little higher. Whether in fear or derision, Leo didn¡¯t care. He had their attention, now he needed their agreement¡ªtruth be an outlier.
¡°See, that¡¯s exactly how this school is. You fail a test, you get expelled. You can¡¯t keep up with work, you get expelled. You do anything they don¡¯t like and you get a ticket straight to Hell.¡±
The room fell silent. As Leo glanced from face to face, he realised they had all stopped watching him and were fixated on Lumia. Only she looked at Leo. Her face was as blank as her robe, and somehow that hurt Leo more than any scowl or pained expression could.
Oh.
He had just called the Prospect¡¯s former home Hell. And every Platonian knew it wasn¡¯t only the choked up environment that made it that way.
Seconds ticked by in painful silence until the quiet Raphael stepped forward with his face set grimly.
¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being a bit dramatic?¡± he said, his voice deep and grave.
Leo turned away and clutched the meus by his heart. ¡°Guess you¡¯ll have to learn the hard way,¡± he muttered.
Perhaps it was coincidence, or perhaps someone had decided to mock Leo at that moment, but Leo¡¯s meus began to buzz in his hand. Then Raphael¡¯s rang in a lower tone, and Morgan¡¯s a plucking violin, and Lumia¡¯s and Alan¡¯s and Tock¡¯s and everyone else¡¯s, high and low, bells and drums, until the hall was filled with the rallying cries of a hundred different calls that rose into a single, terrifying roar.
Chapter 02 - It sucks you in with your million brethren, and then the jaws snap shut
Leo
The cacophonous ringing of a hundred meuses ought to have chilled Leo, but in actuality it was pure catharsis. He was right, and after so many things had gone wrong for him it was good to have a victory. The four students and one Prospect in his makeshift circle stared at him in disbelief, and he couldn¡¯t resist the urge to say something.
¡°Do you believe me now?¡±
They didn¡¯t respond.
The noise died out slower than it had burst to life. Some students answered their meuses immediately, others shouted their disbelief, but most laughed off the whole spectacle as a joke. Morgan stared at her meus with her mouth twisted with frustration. Eventually she answered, and so too did their group, followed lastly by Leo.
It was a video call, and everyone held their meuses in front of them with their speakers set to blaring highs. The video greeted Leo with the fractalled leaf of King¡¯s College wreathed with the words, Aeternit¨¡tem per Scientia. For a while there was just the emblem, as present as any student. Then once the last meus had been answered and the room was plunged into breathless silence, the image shifted.
An older woman stared at Leo, stared at every student at once. Her nose was crooked, her mouth was twisted up on one side in mockery of a smile, her eyes rested deeply as though engraved into her skull, and her jowls hung low, weighed down by time. Grey streaks ran through her dull coppery hair, marking her as every student¡¯s superior. When she spoke, her voice echoed from every device such that her words seemed to be coming from everywhere and anywhere at once.
¡°Good morning students, and welcome to King¡¯s College. I am the Principal.¡±
She paused and let the title hang in the air. It rumbled like thunder, deep and heavy, and faded ever so slowly.
Leo¡¯s attention was jolted by Lumia, who was fumbling with her meus. When Alan caught sight of her fiddling, he offered to share his screen with her. Lumia pocketed her meus and mouthed, thank you.
¡°Before we begin,¡± the Principal continued, ¡°I want to make it perfectly clear that the class of semester one, year 311, officially begins tomorrow. Until you are given your uniform, none of you will be considered tenth year students of King¡¯s College.¡±
Panicked whispers raced through the hall. Leo glared Morgan¡¯s way and found her staring back at him, her eyes wide and face pale. His expression hardened as if to say, Do you believe me now?
¡°At 11:45 you will be present in the following room.¡±
The Principal¡¯s harsh glare was replaced with the image of a room filled with over a hundred students¡ªthis room. It was angled from on high, giving full view of every student, and their panic-stricken eyes. Superimposed onto the image was an arrow that pointed to a door at the far end of the hall.
A gasp ran through the room as the students realised they were under surveillance. Leo looked up to where he estimated the image originated from. He expected to find a camera dangling from a rafter or pinned to the ceiling. What he saw was a clear glass roof, allowing an unobstructed view of the skydome that shielded Plato from the harshness of the upper troposphere. Beyond the dome lay the hazy blue of the sky.
Leo held his meus up so that the image on the screen showed him staring directly at himself. He closed one eye and looked over the meus¡¯ edge. Where his gaze fell there was only sky.
Of course they¡¯re using secret surveillance, he thought sourly. Secret surveillance wasn¡¯t technically illegal, but it was so heavily frowned upon that nobody would risk being caught using it. Especially on students. But when have these people ever cared about doing what¡¯s right?
¡°Huh? What¡¯s this?¡± Alan cried suddenly.
¡°Quiet!¡± snapped Morgan.
Leo gave an exasperated sigh. Get used to it.
The Principal¡¯s booming voice stilled the crowd. ¡°You will enter the room indicated on your personal terminal. Once inside, you will find your allocated seat and place your personal terminal in a dock, located next to the provided testing terminal. Once you are all docked, the test will begin at 12:00. However, all students take note.¡±
Deathly silence fell across the room. Leo could hear each students¡¯ breath, ragged and quickened. He had already prepared himself for the worst, but it didn¡¯t stop him from grinding his teeth.
¡°King¡¯s College only takes the finest. A class where too many students fail is unacceptable. Therefore, the following rule shall be implemented: if more than half of the students fail, then all students will fail.¡±
If the chatter had been unruly before, now the hall was in a state of irrationality. Panic was sinking its teeth in and refusing to let its prey go. Even Leo hadn¡¯t been prepared for that!
This is completely different from what Milli went through. What are they playing at?
Someone shouted from the crowd, ¡°But what¡¯s on the test?¡±
¡°Idiot! It¡¯s a recording,¡± someone yelled back.
Leo raised himself onto the balls of his feet. ¡°Shut up and pay attention!¡±
Students looked at him stunned, then a second later buried their heads into their devices. The room was quiet again¡ªa modicum of rationality winning out.
The Principal continued. ¡°Further instructions will be provided once your meus is docked.¡± The image shifted and the Principal¡¯s gaze set upon them once more. ¡°You are probably nervous. That¡¯s understandable. Fear in these uncertain times is both rational and unnecessary. But should uncertainty take you, then remember that it may be best to retrace one¡¯s steps.¡±
Leo blinked at his screen. What? Is that supposed to be encouragement? It can¡¯t be. Maybe it¡¯s a hint. No, it¡¯s definitely a hint.
¡°And remember, students,¡± the Principal said, her tone firm and resolute. ¡°Burn bright.¡±
The screen went black. There was no closing image, no slogans or emblems, just blackness. And buried under the surface of that blackness, Leo¡¯s own face scowled back at him. A few seconds passed where there was nothing¡ªno sound, no words, no meaning¡ªbut Leo¡¯s own reflection. Then the room erupted into anarchy.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
¡°That¡¯s so irrational!¡± Tock spat. ¡°They can¡¯t just fail everyone because a few people bugged up.¡±
¡°Well, they can,¡± said Alan. ¡°It¡¯s their test. They can do whatever they want. But why, though? It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±
Lumia turned to Raphael. ¡°Is this what usually happens on tests?¡±
Raphael shook his head, his expression grim.
¡°Of course they would have told us,¡± Morgan muttered to herself. ¡°Surely I missed their mail, or perhaps there was an issue that prevented it from reaching my inbox.¡±
From the corner of his eye, Leo saw Morgan peek up at him, her expression one of resignation. ¡°How did you know about this?¡± she asked meekly.
Leo met her gaze briefly, then stared back at his meus, into the black void of his screen. His hands were shaking; he couldn¡¯t stop them.
What do I do? What do I do? If there¡¯s a condition where everyone can fail, then it¡¯s not an individual test. What does that mean? Hints? There were hints. She gave us one. There was the message on the notice board. What else was there? Didn¡¯t Morgan say something earlier about a personal message? It must have something to do with those. But what do they mean?
¡°I think there¡¯s no need to worry,¡± Lumia chimed. ¡°It is, after all, but another test.¡±
¡°Yeah, you don¡¯t get it, do you?¡± Alan said. ¡°It¡¯s not like I can be happy just being above the disaster on the surface. This is basically my life. If I fail this I have nothing else.¡±
Like a short circuit, Tock exploded at Alan. She pressed her face close to his and bared her fangs. ¡°Apologise. Now!¡± Tock thrust a hand in Lumia¡¯s direction.
Alan threw his hands up. ¡°For what? It¡¯s true. I have to get into this school otherwise I¡¯ll be¡ª¡±
¡°You¡¯ll what? Huh? Go to a different school? Attend a slightly worse university?¡±
¡°What if I get Descended? I don¡¯t know how to live down there, but she does.¡± Alan threw a hand in Lumia¡¯s direction.
Tock¡¯s whole body was trembling and her breaths were coming in short and fast. Oblivious to the danger, Alan met her snarl with a stubborn grimace. Raphael inched closer and closer until he was in arm¡¯s reach of the fighting duo, in position to interfere.
Then everything fell quiet as heavy footsteps pounded along the tiled floor. Leo¡¯s head shot up from his meus. A girl in an emerald jacket broke from the crowd and sprinted full tilt down the hall. Her cheeks were flecked with tears and her breath came in panicked rasps. She reached the entrance and, rather than waiting for the double doors to open automatically, crashed through them shoulder-first. With a yelp, she tumbled onto the stone path, scraped herself off the floor, and bolted. Nobody ever saw her again.
Before anyone could react, Lumia was gliding towards the entrance. Leo gawked at her ghostly procession: her footsteps made hardly any sound and her head remained perfectly level. It was as though she defied physics, all save for the blue cloth in her hair that fluttered in her wake. When she reached the entrance, Lumia grabbed each of the double doors by their handles and pulled them closed with a heavy thud.
She spun around and offered a smile to the mass of gaping students. ¡°I know that I am new here,¡± she said, her voice echoing through the hall like a choir, ¡°but I believe the test is that way.¡± She pointed a slender finger towards the testing room.
The whole thing was absurd: an unfair test, a girl running away in terror, a teenage Prospect in tabula rasa closing doors manually when she could have waited for them to shut by themselves. It was no wonder that nervous laughter began to break out across the hall. Even Tock and Raphael and Morgan and Alan laughed. Leo, however, narrowed his eyes. That was exactly what Lumia had intended, wasn¡¯t it?
She returned to the cluster of students with a smile on her face. ¡°Now. I know that I know so little about the ways in which your testing works, but it seems to me like we have little control over this situation. Therefore, it would do us no good to fret.¡±
¡°I agree,¡± said Morgan. She raised her chin. ¡°We can only complete our own test and nothing more. Whatever happens, we will just have to deal with it.¡±
¡°Maybe they don¡¯t want us to pass,¡± said Leo.
Raphael frowned at him. ¡°So you have nothing of value to add?¡±
Leo had gone back to staring into space. Like what? Even if we did our best and passed, half the idiots here will probably fail because they can¡¯t keep their poles to the north.
But the greatest consequence of this whole screwed up situation was that if Leo couldn¡¯t pass the entrance test, then he would have no means of learning the truth about Milli. This was his best chance, now left entirely to chance.
¡°Just leave him, Raphael,¡± Morgan said. ¡°If he has already given up then there is no hope for him. As the Principal said, King¡¯s College only takes the best.¡±
With a huff, Morgan marched towards the testing room, her head held high and her hands squeezed too tightly behind her back. Raphael nodded and followed close behind. Tock bounced over to Lumia with a toothy grin.
¡°That was so funny!¡± the frizzy-haired girl cried.
¡°Thank you,¡± Lumia said, smiling courteously. ¡°After you.¡±
¡°Okay,¡± Tock turned and followed Morgan. As she passed Alan, she shot him one last death stare.
Lumia watched Alan with an expectant smile. The dark-eyed boy glanced up at her then his gaze shifted away. His expression set into a forlorn frown.
¡°Sorry,¡± he muttered, then scampered off, trailing a distance behind Tock.
Preparing an appropriate retort, Leo braced for a similar subtle invitation, but he was given no such thing. Instead, Lumia positioned herself besides Leo and cast her gaze towards the students that funnelled into the testing room. For a while neither of them spoke, just watched as all those various coloured uniforms mingled together and were sucked into their certain doom. Once the hall had almost emptied, Lumia addressed him.
¡°Rats are intelligent creatures. They can find their way into any container once they sniff out food, they can memorise thousands of unique smells¡ªfood and poisons alike¡ªand they can adapt to a human¡¯s living cycles so that they can feast off our hard work while we sleep. But most importantly, they know when their time is up. When they¡¯re captured, and every avenue of escape is exhausted and all that remains is the bitter end of the knife; when the lid is taken off their oubliette and they can see their captors eyeing them hungrily.¡±
She leaned closer so that her bright blue eyes were level with Leo¡¯s, and that was when he saw it for the first time: the eyes of a predator, savouring him, weighing him up like a slab of meat. His breath caught in his throat, his legs felt hot and prickly, and before Leo realised he¡¯d taken a step back.
¡°That look,¡± Lumia growled. ¡°That¡¯s the same look as the rat.¡± Closer she drew so that her eyes obscured his vision, her teeth were near his neck, and the scent of perspiration stung Leo¡¯s nostrils. ¡°Are you a rat, Leo?¡±
Her gaze lingered for a few endless seconds before Lumia straightened up, set her face back into a smile, and wandered into the crowd. Once she was far away, Leo finally exhaled. Now that Lumia was away from him, realisation struck him. He¡¯d grown nervous over some stupid story!
He shook his head and muttered aloud, ¡°All this over a test.¡±
And that was it, wasn¡¯t it? This was just another test.
Why even worry? If there¡¯s nothing I can do then there¡¯s no point being miserable about it. I mean, this whole thing is pretty ridiculous, isn¡¯t it?
The general panic surrounding Leo, the impossibility of it all, the weird clues and the sheer arrogance of the Principal, the fleeing girl and Lumia saving the day with her witty comment¡ªthe more he lingered on it, the more ridiculous it all seemed to him. Little by little, a smile grew on his lips and fits of laughter rose from chest. Before he knew it, he was cackling hysterically. Tears fell freely down his cheeks. He clutched his meus to his stomach and collapsed onto the floor in a babbling heap.
I tried to persuade everyone else, only to be persuaded myself. What an idiot I am!
His five acquaintances stopped shuffling towards the testing room and watched him incredulously. Most of them wore expressions of utter bafflement, except for Tock who had a look of complete disgust, and Lumia who donned her usual smile.
¡°Is everything alright, Leo?¡± said Morgan.
The last fits passed, and Leo let out a long sigh. He picked himself up off the floor and wiped away his tears. ¡°Perfectly. Everything is perfect. I mean, it¡¯s not¡ªeverything is choked up, but that¡¯s why it¡¯s perfect.¡±
¡°I see,¡± said Morgan.
¡°Alright, we have a test to take.¡± Leo hopped past his acquaintances and dove into the whirlpool of students. He looked back over his shoulder. ¡°Come on, we don¡¯t want to fail a test before the semester even starts, right?¡±
They all shared a look, save for Lumia who¡¯s smile never faded, then caught up with him.
¡°It is good to see that you have come back to your senses,¡± Morgan intoned.
Yep, back to my senses, he told himself. I am in control. I am in control.
Chapter 03 - First the darkness swaddles you, then constricts you, and you panic
Leo
Leo was the last student to take his place at his assigned desk. As was always the case in tests, every sound was amplified. The students weren¡¯t talking, the chirping of birds couldn¡¯t breach through the walls, and, judging by the lack of faculty, the school may as well have been deserted. That eerie silence meant that each cough, shuffling of feet, and grinding of chair legs carried without hindrance. If Leo listened closely, he could hear the students¡¯ anticipation.
To his surprise, nothing seemed out of the ordinary save for the lack of examiners. The testing room was a moderately sized theatre, with a high roof, elevated stage in front of the examinees, and level floor. An array of desks had been bolted to the synthetic wooden floorboards. On each desk was a screen set into a plastic shell, an indent beside it where a meus could be docked, a stylus for writing equations by hand, and a thin keyboard moulded into the desk.
It wasn¡¯t until Leo turned around that he saw it: at least five meters above, a one-way glass pane stretched across the wall, completely translucent on the side of the students. There was a light on behind it. Whoever was in there was watching them, peering constantly over their shoulders.
Really? You can¡¯t even show your face to the students whose dreams you want to destroy? Pathetic.
Scowling, he faced forward and received a prompt from the screen.
The test cannot begin until every student has docked their personal terminal.
Every student? Leo thought. Why? What if someone doesn¡¯t want to take the test and decides to just sit there. The corners of his mouth turned up. Oh, that¡¯ll never happen.
Someone near him cleared their throat. Leo perked up and realised a class full of eyes watched him expectantly. A pair of those belonged to Morgan, who was staring lasers into him. Every student¡¯s monitor displayed the same message, and everyone but him had already done as they were bid. He grinned an apology, took a deep breath, and slipped his meus into the dock.
As soon as he withdrew his hand, a steel latch snapped shut separating Leo from his meus. Gasps radiated through the theatre as every desk imprisoned each students¡¯ meus¡ªthough it was just a device, every student was so attached to their meus that they may as well have been chained to the desk. A second later, the terminal in front of Leo gave its next set of instructions.
The following are the rules under which this test will be conducted. Pay careful attention to this page as it will not be accessible once the test has begun.
0. Students cannot communicate verbally.
1. Administrators cannot fail any student.
Leo blinked at the screen. He read rule one again, just to be sure his eyes hadn¡¯t deceived him. There were many implications to that rule, the first of which was that there were administrators. They weren¡¯t in the theatre, so the only place they could be was¡ª
He spun and glared at the one-way glass. If you can¡¯t fail us, then why are you here? Leo seethed. To mock us?
The more important point, however, was that cheating was more-or-less allowed, since an administrator couldn¡¯t fail them. Leo kept reading.
2. Once a student has correctly answered all their questions, their personal terminal will be released from the dock.
3. If a student submits an incorrect answer for a question, their terminal will be locked out for five minutes.
4. If a student¡¯s personal terminal is in a dock at the moment the test has concluded, they fail.
5. If 50% or more of students fail, then all students will fail.
6. The test will commence at 12:00 and conclude at 14:00.
7. This is the students¡¯ last rule.
Leo¡¯s brows furrowed at rule seven. That seemed like an odd thing to add to a list of rules, and if Leo hadn¡¯t known better he would have thought it to be an error. But Leo absolutely knew better. It was subtle yet so blatant: if rule seven was the last rule, then these were all the rules. In other words, if Leo were to do something not listed in the rules, such as walk out the room, there would be no consequences.
A smile crept onto Leo¡¯s face. This was not a test about answering questions, he realised, but a test on a student¡¯s ability to draw conclusions from limited information. The rules were so threadbare, which gave students an enormous amount of room to manoeuvre. All they had to do was throw away the norms that had been drilled into their heads since they entered the school system¡ªa task that was both so simple yet near impossible. This test was practically begging them to cheat! Rule five, the rule about failing all students if half failed, meant that if any student wanted to pass, they¡¯d probably have to help others. There was just one problem with that¡
He had a bad feeling about rule zero, Students cannot communicate verbally. A Platonian would have told Leo that gut feelings were irrational, but given how absurd this test was shaping up to be, a little irrationality could go a long way. If he spoke, an administrator couldn¡¯t fail him on account of rule one. However, they didn¡¯t have to.
Leo¡¯s eyes settled on rule four, If a student¡¯s personal terminal is in a dock at the moment the test has concluded, they fail. If the administrators wanted a student to fail, all they had to do was lock out their terminal. Except, could an administrator actually do that? There was a giant logical gap surrounding this concept of administrators. Their existence was never explained, mentioned only in passing. And if the rules didn¡¯t prevent him from cheating then, conversely, did they prevent an administrator from locking him out on a whim?
This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
Don¡¯t take too many risks, he decided. And especially don¡¯t talk.
A few more minutes until the test started. Leo scanned the room to see how others were reacting. Trepidation, anxiety; biting lips and bouncing legs. Few people seemed confident, though that could have just as easily been arrogance. Morgan¡¯s face was completely blank but her shoulders were hunched. Alan was trying to bore a hole into his screen with his sneer. Raphael, sitting far in front of Leo, scratched his shaved scalp. Tock leaned back in her chair, stared up at the ceiling, and mouthed some kind of chant. Lumia, who had been seated in the very front row, turned around and made eye contact with Leo. Within her gaze was a fierce determination. Leo wondered if it was intended for him, or for herself.
The clocks switched to twelve; the test began.
The rule list disappeared and the first test question was presented:
Increases in pollution over the last five hundred years have resulted in persistent cloud cover over most of Earth¡¯s surface. Briefly describe three consequences this phenomenon has on plant life.
Huh, that¡¯s not too difficult.
He punched out the answer within a minute then hit the submit button. He immediately received a passing mark. The next question was displayed: a math question. It was even easier than the first, though a little more tedious. There was a moment of panic as Leo realised he had forgotten the method for solving it, but fortunately a formula was provided for him. In short order he answered the second question correctly. The third question arrived, was answered, followed by the fourth, then the fifth.
He got lost in it¡ªas frustrating as this whole ordeal had been so far, there was a strange simplicity in answering questions. Leo could forget about the whole world and focus entirely on the problem in front of him. This was the problem, this was the enemy, and all the world¡¯s troubles could be reduced to this conflict. Leo versus the question.
It wasn¡¯t until he was at question nineteen that Leo paused, realising that he had just chewed through the test like it was clean air. The back of his head itched, and he peered over his shoulder at the glass that loomed high above.
Surely it can¡¯t be that easy, right? Are you saying I was worried for nothing?
From beside him a boy sniffled. Leo¡¯s attention snapped onto the boy and his heart sank. Tears were streaking down the boy¡¯s cheeks which he wiped away as soon as they fell, and though he did his best to cover his sobs there was little he could do to stop his shoulders from heaving. When he caught sight of Leo, he covered his face with a hand and turned away.
Holding his breath, Leo inched closer to the boy¡¯s desk to get a clearer view of his screen. In stark black on white, buried in the corner of the screen, was written, Question 1 / 20. When Leo read the question, it was like taking a punch to the gut.
Prove that the integral of sine of x over x is equal to half pi.
That was not a simple question. Sure, Leo knew how to solve it. He¡¯d actually been given this question in his last exam. However, that was in a calculus course, where this kind of question was not only expected but even solved in his textbooks as a way of demonstrating a formula. This was not the sort of thing you threw on a pop quiz and threatened to fail a student for not answering¡ªthat was, unless you wanted them to fail.
But even more worrying was that the formula that was provided was the chain rule. It was completely baffling: using the chain rule to calculate an integral was like giving someone a drill and asking them to plug a hole with it.
Finish your own test first, Leo told himself. They can¡¯t do anything to you once you¡¯ve already passed.
Then the room went as still as space when one of the latches snapped open and a student was released. Leo edged over to see Lumia pull her meus from the dock and place it awkwardly on her desk, as though unsure what to do with it. A few seconds later, another latch snapped open. This time it was Morgan, and she directed a stormy glare at Lumia. After she was done with her death stares, Morgan leaned back in her chair, folded her arms, and settled on scowling at her terminal.
They haven¡¯t figured it out, Leo realised. They need to help other students.
He wracked his brains for a way to tell them but kept running into the what if problem. What if the administrators didn¡¯t like that? What if he got locked out? What if the students next to him were locked out in his place?
That was when the answer came to him, in the form of that secretive message he¡¯d seen on the notice board: Let your actions be heard where your voice cannot reach.
His answer found, Leo couldn¡¯t hold back a grin. Fine. I¡¯ll show them.
He knuckled down on the last two questions, finishing them in record time. A couple minutes later he submitted the final answer, and his meus was released. He snatched it up without hesitation and slid over to the desk next to him.
The plain looking boy gaped up at him, eyes bulging, and Leo responded with a smile. He commandeered the boy¡¯s keyboard and typed a message: I can¡¯t fail so I might as well help you.
The plain boy¡¯s eyes darted between Leo and the screen. Once he understood he nodded and shuffled to the side. Leo snatched his stylus off him and went to work.
It had been a few weeks since he¡¯d last looked at this problem, so it took a fair bit longer than Leo had anticipated. As he fussed over another wrong step in his method, he checked on Morgan and Lumia to see if they had caught on. Morgan, unsurprisingly, was staring at him in abject horror. Finding her reaction so unusual for a robot, Leo replied with a smirk. Her back stiffened and her head swivelled this way and that, as though looking for something. What did she expect to find, an administrator? Was she expecting punishment? So far there had been none and everything was going smoothly.
Come on. Catch on already.
What was more surprising, however, was that most of the room was staring at him. Upon realising this, Leo paused his work and stood straight. Unless they were finished the class should have been focused on their tests. So Leo tapped on the plain boy¡¯s screen and arched his eyebrows, as if to say, Back to work. Most students put their heads down. Five didn¡¯t.
His acquaintances from the hall considered him, and in each of their gazes Leo recognised something, like when you were on the verge of puzzling out a difficult problem after an hour of staring at your screen in exasperation.
Leo, now confident that his hypotheses were paying off, decided to take another risk. He spoke¡ªnot verbally, but with his hands.
¡®They never said we couldn¡¯t help,¡¯ he signed.
And finally, in each of them, it all clicked.
Lumia was the first to stand. She shuffled over to the desk next to her, a smile on a face and her hands clasped before her. Raphael, Alan, and Tock all put their heads down and worked with renewed determination. Morgan, still uncertain, looked at her screen nervously.
Is this really going to work? Leo wondered, scanning over the bowed heads of the hundred-something students.
Either way, he had to keep trying. He went back to the question in front of him and got lost in it for a few more minutes, until he felt a tug at his sleeve. The boy he was helping pointed towards the front of the room.
Lumia was waving at him, smiling but with her brows knitted.
That can¡¯t be good.
Dropping the stylus, Leo rushed over to her. Lumia pointed at a freckled girl¡¯s screen and, fearing the worst, Leo slowly leaned in.
Of all philosophical theories relating to scientific reason and practice, the two that are most commonly employed by Plato are the Recursive Adjustment Method and Expansive Hypothesis Theory. Name nine key differences between them.
It took everything Leo had not to swear up a string of curses. He twisted his head around and drilled a murderous gaze over his shoulder and into that translucent glass pane.
Is this the first sacrifice?
Chapter 04 - You try to flee; there is nowhere to run but around, inside
Leo
Tock was the next student to pass her test. She leapt from her desk and rushed over, her footsteps loud and echoing through the theatre. Trying to come up with an answer to the freckled girl¡¯s impossible question, Leo and Lumia were lost in their thoughts. When Tock read the question herself, she breathed a long and quiet, ¡°Oh.¡±
This is impossible, thought Leo, staring right through the freckled girl¡¯s screen. These are advanced theories that don¡¯t get covered until university. In secondary school we get told what they are, but comparing them like this? That¡¯s not something they¡¯d test a high schooler on! Who would bother memorising it?
Raphael was next to finish his test and joined them at the freckled girl¡¯s desk. Alan followed closely behind. Her head bowed, Morgan finally decided to take a risk and stood at her desk. She turned this way and that, as if expecting someone to admonish her, but when no punishment came she straightened her back and begrudgingly joined the rest of the group. Once all six were gathered and caught up on the issue, Morgan signed a question.
¡®Does anyone know the answers?¡¯
Leo shook his head. ¡®I can think of one.¡¯
Tock held up two fingers, Raphael one, Alan shrugged, and Lumia held up three fingers. Morgan held up two herself, then signed, ¡®That is nine items in total. We can answer.¡¯
Alan waved his hands in objection. ¡®Overlap.¡¯
Of course. If two people had the same item then they wouldn¡¯t be able to complete the question. But say they all had at least one item overlapping, how many people would they need to collect answers from to correctly answer this one question? How many other students had equally impossible questions?
¡®Don¡¯t risk it,¡¯ signed Raphael. ¡®I saw someone next to me get an answer wrong. The terminals don¡¯t tell you what you got wrong. They only lock you out.¡¯
¡®We could be here all day!¡¯ Alan replied.
¡®Why not talk?¡¯ Tock signed.
Leo shook his head. ¡®Rule zero,¡¯ he answered, referring to the rule that prevented them from communicating verbally.
She grew more frantic. ¡®But we¡¯re already cheating. Who can [unintelligible] stop us? We¡¯re no longer [unintelligible].¡¯
Unfortunately, Leo¡¯s sign language was poor and there were some gestures Tock used that were unknown to him. Though he understood the general meaning of her message, Leo had no way to communicate his conclusions back to her without warbling it beyond comprehension. Every Platonian was taught some amount of sign language to ensure that an inability to speak would not cripple someone¡¯s ability to contribute to the world. However, if it wasn¡¯t practiced daily, it could quickly be forgotten. And Leo hadn¡¯t used sign in well over a year.
Luckily for him, Alan had a simple answer.
¡®Rule zero was different. Maybe trap.¡¯
Tock scowled at him, then huffed and looked away.
Idiots! thought Leo, scowling. Can you fight another time?
Her eyes downcast, Morgan motioned to get everyone¡¯s attention. ¡®I do not like this. We should not be cheating.¡¯
Leo frowned. ¡®It¡¯s not cheating. Remember rules carefully.¡¯
She glared at him defiantly and her hands whirred a response. ¡®Since when is answering other students¡¯ questions not cheating?¡¯
¡®Since the rule that fails us if half fail.¡¯
¡®But¡ª¡¯
¡®There¡¯s no other way.¡¯
Morgan hesitated. ¡®When have you been [unintelligible] told not to answer other people¡¯s questions?¡¯
¡®When have you been told that someone cannot fail you?¡¯ He didn¡¯t know the sign for ¡°administrator¡±. To make his meaning clear, Leo added, ¡®Rule one.¡¯ Which was, Administrators cannot fail any student. It would have been amazing to discuss some of the implications of that rule, but that seemed even less possible to Leo. If he still had access to his meus¡¯ functions he might have been able to set up a group chat, but he¡¯d checked earlier and all the limitations imposed during test conditions were fully in place.
Morgan pursed her lips, hesitating. Hoping they were not showing the same signs of doubt as Morgan, Leo scanned everyone else¡¯s faces. He didn¡¯t want to admit it, but he had no idea what to do right now so he could really use their help. Tock and Alan were both glaring at Morgan, meaning they probably disagreed with black haired girl. Raphael watched her expectantly. Lumia¡ was smiling. Leo had a feeling she didn¡¯t understand a thing they were saying.
What can I say to convince her? Something has to work on this cat, but what? She cares too much about doing what¡¯s right, but in trying to uphold her sense of righteousness she¡¯s going to jeopardise the entire class. Everyone will fail if she doesn¡¯t¡ªwait, that¡¯s it!
Knowing his mismatched eyes unsettled people, Leo lowered his gaze. He slumped his shoulders and donned a forlorn mask, doing his best to emulate meekness. He signed, ¡®Please. Help us. I can¡¯t do this alone.¡¯
The effect was immediate. Stealing a glance through the fringe of his messy hair, he caught Morgan''s back stiffening and her jaw dropping. Guilt was a powerful motivator.
Alan began waving frantically. He held his meus up to them. Ninety minutes left.
Taking a hair clip from her pocket, Morgan pinned back one side of her shoulder-length bowl of hair, exposing an ear. Her gaze fierce, Morgan addressed her five peers. ¡®Alright. I have a plan. Will you allow me to lead?¡¯
It began slowly then spread like a flame. Raphael was the first to salute: left fist behind his back and the right one over his heart. Tock was next, then Alan. Lumia glanced at the three of them uncertainly then followed suit. Leo hesitated. He hated that salute¡ªit was a mark of blind obedience, a practice from a past, more idiotic humanity¡ªbut this was his doing. It was the city he¡¯d built. He exhaled slowly, then saluted.
Once everyone had offered Morgan their allegiance, she returned their salutes. There the six of them were, resolute, all forming this strange alliance, all for the sake of passing a stupid test. If their futures weren¡¯t on the line, Leo would have laughed at the absurdity of it all.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Then it began. Morgan broke from the circle and moved to the stage. Raphael shuffled to the back of the room, and the others took positions along the walls. From beside Leo, the freckled girl waved at him from her desk then signed, ¡®What about my question?¡¯
Leo grinned at her and stuck a hand out to tussle her hair. She swatted him away, then he used that distraction to sign to her. ¡®Just do what she says,¡¯ he signed, pointing to Morgan.
Upon the stage, Morgan stood out like a beacon. Though the acoustics might have carried her voice, today the stage only helped to draw attention to her hands which moved rapidly, and a little shakily.
¡®Students, you may have noticed by now that this test is about more than answering questions. If half of us fail, then we all fail. That may not seem fair to you, and in fact it is not fair. However, if you remember the rules, you will realise that there is nothing preventing us from helping each other. Look!¡¯ She gestured towards herself and her five peers. ¡®Each of us has been helping others and nobody has failed.¡¯
Everyone watched attentively as Morgan rushed out her plan: if a student was stuck on a question, they were to raise their hands with the number of fingers raised showing how many questions they had remaining. The intent was to free up some students sooner so that there would be more helpers. A rational plan.
When her speech was complete¡ªif you could call it that given that it was entirely silent¡ªher gaze swept over the room once then she offered her five peers a confident nod. The plan was set, but Leo had the falling feeling that it wouldn¡¯t be so easy.
Some questions could be answered, others couldn¡¯t. There were more hands raised than students that could help them, and in the situation a helper was also unable to answer, another helper would be called to assist. This happened in most of the questions. Some were so complicated that after a few minutes of debates, half through sign and half by scratching text onto the helpless student¡¯s screen, Morgan would call for the question to be skipped.
This was the third time a skip in five minutes. Leo felt responsible for it since he had been the one to offer initial assistance to a girl with beady eyes. He had almost wanted to take a shot at the question and risk the lockout, just the once, just to see if a hunch proved to be the correct answer, because as soon as he¡¯d read her question he knew it was hopeless. Instead, he mouthed an apology to the poor girl and left her staring at the screen, her eyes turning bleary.
Is this really it? he thought. Are we just going to mark off a few students as damaged goods? Like they¡¯re good for nothing but kindling. We throw them on the pile to keep the rest of us warm, sure, but as each of them burns the smoke gathers. Soon we¡¯ll all be suffocating, and when we drop dead one by one, we¡¯ll blame it all on survival.
No, he decided not to do this, getting all miserable over a test. This is what the school wanted: panicked students that made dumb mistakes, giving them all the reason they need to boot them out. After all, King¡¯s College loved to boot out students, even the most talented. That¡¯s what they did to¡ªNo, focus!
After taking a deep breath, Leo scanned the room for another student with a low number of questions left to answer. That was when he realised that the number of students seeking help was all of them. Hands were raised to the ceiling like electrical pylons, each carrying its own charged problem. Knowing that Leo was free to help, a few students stared at him with desperate smiles, and dark, forlorn pits for eyes.
Leo pulled out his meus. Seventy-six minutes remaining.
Gritting his teeth, Leo stomped his way to Morgan, ignoring students¡¯ silent pleas for help. He grabbed her by the arm and dragged her behind the array of desks, so students would have to turn to see them, then placed his back towards the students to block view of the conversation.
Morgan snatched her arm away and flashed, ¡®What are you doing?¡¯
¡®I don¡¯t think it¡¯s working,¡¯ Leo replied. He risked a look over his shoulder and met the gazes of dozens of hand-raising students, all eyeing them curiously. ¡®There are too many.¡¯
Morgan shook her head. ¡®I am aware. That is why we have to [unintelligible] students with less questions.¡¯
¡®It¡¯s been fifteen minutes. Only two students have passed since then.¡¯
¡®There is still plenty of time.¡¯
¡®But at this rate too many will fail.¡¯
¡®It will be fine. We only need half of the students to pass.¡¯ Her hands were getting jerkier¡ªa sign of frustration.
Leo scowled at her. ¡®We are not letting any students fail. It¡¯s unfair.¡¯
Her face hardened in response. ¡®Then we will have to work harder to make sure that doesn¡¯t¡ª¡¯
Not wanting to hear her oh-so-reasonable excuses, Leo stifled her hands with his own. However, she didn¡¯t quite have the reaction he expected; the moment he clasped her hands she flinched back and stared at Leo aghast. He carried on regardless, too annoyed with her to care.
¡®There has to be another way.¡¯
Morgan frowned. ¡®This was the best idea I could come up with given¡ª¡¯
¡®Listen!¡¯ he whirred frantically, cutting her off again. ¡®I think they¡¯re giving us hints. I saw one on the¡¯¡ªhe didn¡¯t know the gestures for ¡°notice board¡±¡ª ¡®I saw it before. Have you seen anything? I think you said something about a personal message before.¡¯
Morgan considered for a moment. ¡®When I finished my test a message showed on the screen. It said, ¡°Mistrust the one that watches over others¡¯ shoulders, for authority is a chain that binds us to our duties.¡±¡¯
Leo lowered his hands and gaped at Morgan. His thoughts raged like a storm. She had been keeping that a secret? This whole time? Did she honestly not realise that it might have been, you know, important? She¡¯s not even a damned robot, she¡¯s a half-baked algorithm!
Unable to deal with any of this¡ªMorgan¡¯s blatant idiocy, the signing, and all the terrorised faces of King¡¯s College¡¯s latest batch of victims¡ªfor a zeptosecond longer, he spun and stomped towards the exit. He didn¡¯t care if people were watching, or if they thought ill of him for leaving. He was going to complete this test his own way.
There was a door tucked into a corner of the room that seemed promising. The lock indicator wasn¡¯t glowing so he tried the handle, and to his surprise¡ªwell, not really¡ªit slid open. He had a second to catch Morgan open her mouth to shout at him before she slammed a hand over it. Leo grinned, and then he was gone.
He entered a thin service hall and bolted through it without a care. At the end of the hall a door barred his way. He tried the handle and again it opened. As he did so, the door to the theatre slammed open and Morgan burst through. He threw himself out the service hall and took a sharp left, letting intuition guide him.
Leo dashed freely through the wide halls of King¡¯s College. It was dead quiet, abandoned almost, save for the thumping of his own feet. A short ways along he found a stairwell. He hooked a hand around the rail and used his momentum to swing up and took the steps three at a time. At the top of the stairs he heard Morgan¡¯s footfalls pounding through the halls. She skidded to a halt at the bottom of the staircase. She was catching him. Now on the second floor, Leo hooked back toward the theatre and picked up pace.
Mistrust them? I already do. And I¡¯m going to let those savages know what¡¯s going to happen if they don¡¯t stop this choking test.
A way down the empty hall he found what he was looking for: a sign that read, ¡°Theatre controls.¡± Clenching his teeth, he came to a staggered halt in front of it, nearly tripping over his own feet. At that second, Morgan rounded the top of the stairs and whipped her head in his direction. Her eyes bulged when she realised what Leo was doing and then she took off like a bullet.
Smirking, Leo ripped the door open and threw himself inside.
It took a moment for realisation to set in, and when it did, Leo¡¯s heart sank. Inside the room was¡ nobody. One whole wall was a window. Through it, Leo could make out the velvet curtains that lined the theatre walls, and a hundred or so students seated at their desks, their eyes darting around excitedly due to the commotion he¡¯d caused. The control room had no equipment of any kind, save for a desk identical to the ones that lined the theatre floor.
The sole door clicked shut on its own behind Leo¡ªthat wasn¡¯t out of the ordinary since all doors in Plato closed on their own. But what was unexpected was the feeling of a familiar shift as the air pressure decreased ever so slightly. Outside, Morgan¡¯s footsteps disappeared abruptly as the room¡¯s soundproofing kicked in. Leo looked over his shoulder, panting, and unsurprisingly the door¡¯s indicator had turned blood red. Locked.
What is this?
Cautiously, not knowing what else to do, Leo approached the desk. His heart still raced, and was getting faster. Step by step, the desk¡¯s terminal came into view. Upon the terminal¡¯s screen, in bold white on endless black, were printed four sky-falling words:
You are an administrator.
As all his misconceptions came crashing down on him, Leo uttered the only thought his turbulent mind could manage.
¡°Fuck.¡±
Chapter 05 - Teeth, the cell door bars; fear, the walls unyielding
Leo
Leo paced towards the wall, his fingers tangled in his mess of brown hair. He stared hard at the anaesthetic white paint, hissed through gritted teeth, then turned and paced back to the terminal.
You are an administrator.
Ripping his gaze away, he went to the door and tried the handle. It didn¡¯t budge. He slammed a fist against it, but it was sturdy and he only received a sore hand for his efforts. It was built like someone expected it to be struck¡ªno, that wasn¡¯t correct. All doors on Plato were built to withstand changes in air pressure, so they had to be sturdy. Growling, he turned and walked back to the terminal.
You are an administrator.
¡°Fine!¡± he shouted. After he spoke, Leo realised that he¡¯d broken rule zero, and that he didn¡¯t care.
He threw himself into the chair and whipped out his meus. Sixty-three minutes remaining.
It wasn¡¯t that he hated being trapped in this room¡ªokay, that wasn¡¯t true; he was completely livid! Regardless, what bothered him was what they would make him do. He¡¯d spent a long time speculating on the sorts of powers an administrator had. None of them seemed good for the students. Administrators and students were fundamentally different classes within the test¡¯s hierarchy. And given the sorts of games King¡¯s College liked to play, given the insanity of this test, he didn¡¯t think it beyond them to pit students against each other in some twisted game. Leo could refuse to comply with whatever task he was given, but he worried that, once he melted that ice shelf, there¡¯d be all sorts of nasty stuff inside and he¡¯d have no choice but to play the bad guy.
Not like he had much of a choice. It was either sit here and let the class fail or try his luck and maybe not fail.
He let out a long breath, then dropped his meus in the dock beside to the terminal.
The dock¡¯s cover snapped shut and a new message blinked onto the terminal screen.
You have been granted access to this administrator terminal. The following rules apply to your usage of this terminal:
0. You cannot unlock this room¡¯s door.
Of course, he thought bitterly.
1. You can remove your personal terminal at any time by using the ¡°Exit¡± button.
Well at least I haven¡¯t been completely trapped, just mostly.
2. This terminal can be used to unlock a student¡¯s personal terminal from their desk.
He blinked at rule two, then let out a long, ¡°Huh?¡± Leaning in, he rushed through the rest of the rules.
3. A student¡¯s personal terminal can only be unlocked once.
4. There is a ten second delay between unlocking terminals.
5. Up to twenty terminals can be unlocked.
Only twenty, he reiterated. It seemed like a lot, given that there were one hundred and eleven students by his count¡ªeight rows of desks by fourteen, subtracting the one girl who¡¯d fled before the test began. However, if twenty students out of the necessary fifty-six could be freely unlocked, that was probably because King¡¯s College had predicted that a lot less than fifty-six students would pass on their own. But he didn¡¯t want just the necessary fifty-six to pass, he wanted them all to pass.
Leo peaked over the desk and counted eight vacant desks on the floor below, nine if he included Alan who had decided to sit back at his desk for whatever reason. It looked grim. He had no idea which twenty were most in need of a free pass. Maybe he could have picked the students who held up the most fingers since they were the least likely to pass, or maybe unlock the students further along in their test since they were the most capable of helping others.
No, that didn¡¯t track. The question difficulty tended to spike at weird moments. Question one could be brutally hard for one student while the rest were easy, whereas another student stuck on question eighteen might have even tougher questions at nineteen and twenty. It would make no difference if he passed students at random.
No, stop thinking in terms of numbers! he berated himself. What¡¯s the broader picture here? What¡¯s the strategy?
Leo leaned back, closed his eyes, and traced back his steps. There¡¯s an administrator terminal. It can be used by a student¡ªany student? No, it granted me access. I don¡¯t know the conditions for access. The doors around the testing room are unlocked. There were weird hints that brought me here.
He didn¡¯t want to admit it, but he was manipulated into the room, this trap. The thought of it made him bitter.
Hints were given both during the test and before it. Their purpose, as far as I can tell, is to guide us through the rules, which are both literal and subjective¡ª
Leo bolted upright, his eyes almost popping out of his head. ¡°Rule one: administrators cannot fail any students,¡± he gasped, emphasising the plural. ¡°There¡¯s more than one administrator!¡±
It all made sense now: the difficulty of the questions, the creepy principal, the odd rules. It was a test about defying rules. For the first time today, Leo found this test intriguing. However, knowing this meant nothing if he was trapped inside of a room with no way to communicate his discovery to the others. At this rate they would stay within their lowest entropy state, trapped within walls made of faulty interpretations.
Leo tapped on the terminal screen and an array of desks appeared before him. Some were marked as unlocked, others weren¡¯t. No other information was given. He didn¡¯t need it. What he needed wasn¡¯t to unlock the right students, but the right desks.
What he needed was to send a message.
Morgan
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
What is wrong with him?
She belted her fists against the door for the fourteenth time, and she promised herself that this one would be the last. A few seconds later, another fit of rage took her and she slammed the door for the fifteenth time. That time was the last, she promised.
Her forehead tapped onto the door and her whole body slumped forwards. It was falling apart so quickly. If Morgan could not break the door down, if she could not get things under control, then the test was over. They were all going to fail and Morgan¡¯s dream¡ªher only dream¡ªof becoming the finest President that Plato had ever seen, of being the light of this world, would come to a sudden halt. Who would let her near a position of leadership once they found out she failed her first and only test at King¡¯s College? Nobody!
Her legs going weak, Morgan slid down the door and collapsed onto her knees. Her forehead felt raw from its passage along the plastic surface and her hands were finally starting to throb. She did not mind the pain; she deserved it, and more. She considered screaming out her frustration, but that would have been in violation of rule zero.
I did it again. I pushed someone away. Maybe if I had listened to Leo rather than berate him, we might not have been in this situation.
And he had been right, about everything. The entrance test, Class Euripides, the hints, maybe even Descension¡ªokay, perhaps not that. There was simply no way that a school would have a student Descended for failing a single test. Descension was for damaged goods, not for students who failed to demonstrate they were not material enough for Plato¡¯s best secondary school.
Conspiracies aside, she needed Leo. He was the only person who knew what was going on. Perhaps in that room he had discovered something amazing that could help everyone. Morgan knew she should not have been upset about that. She knew she had to remain hopeful. But without Leo she was useless.
How could you let yourself get trapped like that? How can I be a leader without a proper advisor?
But there was no point in staying here. The door could not be broken without the right equipment. There was hardly any steel used in Plato, but the reinforced polymers used in everyday structures were strong enough to make steel redundant. She had tried the handle, tried accessing the door with her meus, and a number of other experiments that Morgan preferred not to recall due to embarrassment. Leo was trapped. That was the end of it.
She knew she had to go back to the testing room, but then Morgan would have to admit to the rest of the students that they¡ªthat she¡ªhad lost their most valuable asset, and that she had not the faintest clue as to how she could get him back.
She knew it was pointless, though.
She knew she was going to fail.
She felt sick.
Morgan scrambled off the floor as a violent wave of nausea struck her. She found a nearby water fountain, leaned over, and hurled up the contents of her morning tea. Bracing herself on the fountain, Morgan remained stationary until she had coughed up every last bit of bile. Her legs trembled, her vision blurred, and her throat burned¡ªthankfully, that helped her forget that her whole life was about to be ripped away from her.
Vaguely she recalled having eaten before leaving for King¡¯s College on the chance that her day proved too busy to afford a quick bite. She should have known that overeating was a terrible idea. What a horrible day for her stomach to be playing up on her again!
Come on, get up, her mind pleaded.
Her legs refused to listen.
Eventually Morgan stumbled back to the theatre, still feeling miserable. Her normally-tanned complexion must have gone a bit pallid, given what she had been doing the last¡ªshe checked her meus¡ªfifteen-ish minutes. Too long.
As the other students noticed her, they snickered her way and flashed signs to each other. From a distance, Morgan could make out some of them: gossip, and all about her and Leo. Her cheeks went red and she put her head down to avoid their gazes.
Fortunately, Lumia stepped in and gesticulated wordlessly at the distracted students to keep working, offering silent encouragement. Everyone responded rather positively to her display, as though her cheeriness were somehow contagious. That only further upset Morgan. How could someone be so happy in this situation? Was she not worried what would happen if they failed?
Just thinking about Lumia triggered a spike of jealousy in Morgan¡¯s gut. It was unfair! How could a Prospect have finished faster than her? At her previous school¡ªprevious, assuming she passed this test¡ªMorgan¡¯s grades were not just better than everyone else¡¯s, they were completely unmatched! But to be trounced by a Prospect? And not just a Prospect, but a complete ditz with an annoying grin! It was irrational. Morgan still bared the crest of Charlemagne Secondary School: to be surpassed by a Prospect made her feel that all her struggles were for naught.
Sighing, she scanned across the room. Everything was exactly as she had left it, which was both good and terrible at once. The good part was that Raphael seemed to have taken up the slack while she had been gone, organising helpers and keeping things orderly. Really, it made her happy to see someone help her so diligently.
The terrible part was that no other students had passed their tests since Morgan had tried to stop Leo from being a cat.
Sixty-three minutes remaining. Half their time chewed up. And only nine students had passed. Thinking about it made her stomach churn again.
Come on, get it together. This is not the time to be sick and miserable.
She drew a deep breath and raised her chin. How Morgan felt did not matter; there was a test to be completed.
That was when she spotted Alan buried amongst the raised hands, seated at his desk. Frowning, Morgan marched over to him.
As she approached, Alan poked up from his meus and cocked an eyebrow. ¡®You alright?¡¯ he signed.
Is it really so obvious? Morgan thought. She drew herself up and drilled Alan with a hard stare. ¡®Of course. Why are you not helping the other students?¡¯
¡®I¡¯m trying something.¡¯ He picked up his meus and waved it around as if to demonstrate some point. ¡®I saved a screenshot before. Been trying to find a way around restrictions. No luck.¡¯
¡®What screenshot?¡¯ her hands whirred. He was most likely going to give some poor excuse for his laziness but she would hear it nonetheless.
¡®When we were watching the video¡ªprincipal,¡¯ he added, ¡®I saw something in the corner. Tapped on it and it showed¡ª¡¯
The clack of a desk unlocking echoed through the theatre, making every head turn. A student sitting in the middle row, a girl in a brown blazer, snatched up her meus and stood abruptly. She stared at her device in disbelief. Slowly her gaze shifted around the room, catching sight of the dozens of faces all watching her intently.
Then the girl spoke. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything.¡±
Rushing over, Morgan pressed a finger to her lips to indicate silence to the student¡ªit was good timing, too, as a few other students had turned to each other as though they were about to speak. When all was settled, Morgan glanced around the room to see if there were any consequences for the girl¡¯s speaking, but everything seemed exactly as it was before.
Satisfied, Morgan signed to the student. ¡®Tell me what happened.¡¯
The girl hesitated, then in broken sign language said, ¡®Questions, not finished.¡¯
Morgan checked the student¡¯s terminal but, like all terminals with no meus docked, it showed only a blank screen.
Then another student¡¯s desk unlocked, and a grey-coated boy snatched his meus up. Morgan rushed over to him as students flashed gestures excitedly. Upon questioning him, she found that his story was the same: he had been released despite having not finished his questions.
Another student was released, then another, and another. Morgan sprinted back and forth across the room, ordering the students to assist others, building upon that system of helping that she had stitched together over the course of the test. Some of the new releases she made to help students with more fingers raised, or in other words those students who had the most questions remaining. This would allow them to bring up the total number of questions answered, which could raise their chances of passing more students.
This will work, she thought, feeling like the earth was rising under her feet. With this many helpers we can easily pass!
There was a brief moment of euphoria, about eighteen students in, where Morgan truly believed the students would never stop being released. She almost forgot to assign a student their helping duties on account of her elation. Almost. Not once did she bother to question these events: what mattered was that she could see the light.
However, once the twentieth student had been released, it all came to a disappointing close. She waited, giddy, knowing for certain that there would be another. But after a minute had passed she resigned that it would not be the case. Sighing, she resumed her role as director and the room returned to its usual ebb and flow.
Chapter 06 - Every step along the cold stone floor reveals cold stone
Morgan
Fifty-eight minutes remaining. Thirty-four students released. Twenty-two more students needed to pass.
Though Morgan was confident they would reach the necessary number of students for passing, she was beginning to have her doubts. She had noticed by now that passing had little to do with talent and more to do with luck. Some students¡¯ questions were particularly terrible while others received no formulas for their questions, forcing them to wait for a helper who could remember how to do that question. That usually meant Lumia or herself, which meant they had encountered a severe bottleneck.
Naturally, the stress was weighing on Morgan. She spent all her time dancing between tables, organising confused students, and effectively micromanaging the entire operation. Add to that the added time spent answering the most difficult questions and she was at her wits¡¯ edge.
Then there was Lumia. Managing that ditz turned out to be the most difficult part of the test: Lumia had a habit of presenting herself at the desk of any student that gave her doe eyes. Oh, she knew what was expected of her¡ªMorgan had made sure of that. Three times already! The problem was Lumia just did. Not. Listen.
Raphael did whatever she asked, but frankly he was not much help at answering questions. Keeping people in order, however, was much more his forte, so Morgan let him do that.
Tock was helping, certainly, but she took forever to answer a single question because she had to stop and talk to each and every student. Still, she was answering more questions than Lumia, so that was fine.
A strand of hair got in Morgan¡¯s eye, so she brushed it aside reflexively. Then she stopped to give her eyes a good rub.
How can I speed this up? I know that we only need a few more students to pass, but still¡ª
Someone tapped Morgan on the shoulder. She opened her eyes and brushed her hair aside again to see a student¡ªa girl with black hair that was most definitely longer than regulation allowed. The student¡¯s brows were furrowed.
¡®Sorry, to bother you,¡¯ the girl signed. ¡®I think there¡¯s an issue with the questions.¡¯
Morgan shook her head. ¡®I am aware. Which question are you having trouble with?¡¯
¡®No, that¡¯s not what¡ª¡¯
A commotion broke out at a desk nearby. Two students were flashing their hands wildly at each other. Morgan recognised one as a helper: a boy who attended the same high school as her, whose name she remembered was Hervey.
Oh, what now?
Brushing aside the student whose question she was yet to answer, Morgan hustled over to where the students were arguing. Well, ¡°arguing¡± was a poor way to describe what they were doing. It was more like non-verbal swearing contest, because almost every gesture was some form of slur or insult.
Holding a hand up in between them, Morgan tried to calm the two boys. When that did not work, she tried to physically push them away from each other. When that did not work¡ªand Morgan was getting very irate now¡ªshe shoved her hands in both of their faces. Hervey audibly gagged and reeled back. Vaguely, Morgan realised she must not have washed her hand properly after¡ what happened before. Irrelevant. It worked.
¡®Explain!¡¯ Morgan signed.
The seated student began, ¡®Answer, wrong.¡¯ Then he pointed at the helper.
¡®I asked for rule,¡¯ Hervey replied, recovering from his coughing fit. Both were poor at signing so Morgan had to infer quite a bit.
¡®Shift,¡¯ signed the seated student.
¡®You said left.¡¯
¡®Fuck you,¡¯ the seated student signed. Hervey responded in kind, and they were off again.
Morgan was about to shove her hands in both their faces again when Raphael popped up and began to quell them. Amid their tantrums, Morgan checked the seated student¡¯s terminal and read, ¡°Locked out for 3:48,¡± in letters covering the screen.
This is exactly what I was hoping to avoid. Why could the helper not simply ask for help? He clearly did not know what he was doing.
After some shoving and having to place a hand over Hervey¡¯s mouth to prevent him from speaking, Raphael finally managed to send Hervey off. He did not direct Hervey to another student in need of help, but to the side of the room where he would do nothing. However, the helper ignored Raphael entirely and joined two students lounging at a desk, who both wore the same black uniform as he. They greeted Hervey wordlessly with a rub of his buzzed head. Well, it was better than causing trouble, Morgan figured.
Sighing, she gestured to Raphael, ¡®Thank you.¡¯
Raphael shook his head. ¡®Not the first. Leo hasn¡¯t returned?¡¯
¡®I told you, the door was locked.¡¯ She was still frustrated at that, and at Leo.
Raphael motioned to say something, then looked down and furrowed his thick brows. At that moment another dispute broke out across the room. Raphael clicked his tongue and went to resolve it.
Morgan watched the conflict from afar. This really is not fair. Many of these students will fail because their questions were unreasonably hard, and the rest will fail because nobody can help them. Is it really right to continue like this? She shook her head. What other way is there? If only Leo¡ªshe squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again. Where was I? Right, Alan.
Morgan¡¯s gaze went straight to Alan¡¯s desk and, to her surprise, saw that it was vacant. Finally! Alan, who had spent the entire ordeal lazing at his desk, finally decided to get up and¡ wait, where was he?
She whirled around, seeking the out the boy with his hair tied back, and¡ªhe was on the stage. Why was he on the stage? He should not be on the stage!
Grinding her teeth, Morgan stomped to the front of the room. She squeezed past another silent argument and popped out from the array of desks. Morgan had just thought of a good way to berate Alan when the slouching boy¡¯s eyes settled onto her. Without a word, Alan leapt from the stage and set off at a jog towards the back of the room. Her pulse started racing.
No, you can¡¯t flee as well! she panicked. We can still pass. Why would you?
Morgan bolted after him, but didn¡¯t get far before skidding to a halt. Alan leaped on top of a student¡¯s desk, much to the surprise of Morgan and the poor girl whose hands Alan had almost crushed. He cast his gaze over the room, scanning left to right, left to right. Then his dark eyes snapped open. Beaming, he sought out Morgan.
¡®Come here. Quick,¡¯ he signed. He pointed a finger at the desk next to him.
Though Morgan felt this might have been some game, Alan¡¯s smile had sparked a dull hope within her. She decided to give Alan a chance. She approached the desk beside Alan where a boy was still seated and dipped her head, wordlessly requesting that he move aside so she could stand on his desk. The student stared at her blankly, so Morgan waved a hand to shoo him away from the desk. He slid back a little. Morgan shot him a cold glare. His eyes widened and he shuffled back further.
Really, what was he thinking of doing? Staring up at her from such an angle? Sure, Morgan was wearing pants so there was nothing to see, but even so it was highly inappropriate. She put it out of mind and leaped up onto the desk.
Though Morgan spent a few seconds staring at the desks, she had no idea what she was meant to be looking at. She cocked an eyebrow at Alan.
¡®ASCII!¡¯ he signed, then pointed.
Again Morgan stared at the array of desks, not seeing anything of note.
Frustrated, Alan snapped his fingers and signed, ¡®Row five. Start front.¡¯ He dragged a finger from the front to him, indicating which direction to read.
Then she saw it. Some desks had students seated, others did not: binary states. ASCII was a binary representation of text used in computing, requiring groups of eight binary values, ones and zeros, and there were eight desks in a row. It made perfect sense! The only problem was that she did not remember the binary representation of letters¡ªand why would she need to? This was not a matter that required memorisation, nor was it ever tested on. It was perfectly reasonable for a student to forget that! She looked to Alan for the answer, and he grinned back at her.
¡®W-E-A-D-M-A-N,¡¯ he spelled out.
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Morgan glared at him without blinking, then prepared a torrent of abuse for having wasted her time.
Alan must have noticed because he waved his hands frantically. He signed, ¡®One digit missing. When fixed says, ¡°We admin.¡±¡¯
Considering this a moment, Morgan signed, ¡®Who?¡¯
Alan pointed at the control room behind them, drew his finger down towards the array of desks, then circled the desks, outlining every student. ¡®We,¡¯ he signed.
The implications sprung out to Morgan. Firstly, even while trapped, Leo had found a way to not only help them but also to send a message. That, she promised, she would thank him for later. Secondly, it meant that whatever method Leo had used to unlock students was probably not exclusive to him. They were the administrators. In other words, there was hope!
She thanked Alan, curtly ordered him to find out how these administrators worked, then hopped down to inform Raphael.
Raphael
Things were getting out of hand. So far Raphael had broken up three fights and had hustled a number of students away from their conversations and back to helping. Most of them seemed to have this attitude that once enough students had passed, there was no need to help (anyone else). Which meant that he, Morgan, Tock, and Lumia were doing all the work. Therefore, there had been no increase in the rate at which students were passing.
Ironically, Raphael was noticing a pattern in the helpers where, when they were stuck on another student¡¯s question, they would put their hands up when Morgan was nearby (and put them down again when Raphael made eye contact). Once Morgan offered assistance or directed someone else over, the first helper would leave and dawdle while finding another student to help. Some had stopped trying altogether and would take every opportunity they could to sign (gossip) to their peers. That phenomenon was particularly dangerous because it was only a matter of time before some of them actually spoke.
It wasn¡¯t that Raphael feared the potential consequences of speaking. The rules were clear: if your meus was undocked once the test finished, you don¡¯t fail. However, there was this strange behaviour he recognised in students where the moment one person spoke, everyone else would follow until the room was filled (deafened) with their voices. That possibility needed to be stomped down upon. Immediately.
More than once he¡¯d tried to tell Morgan about this but¡ how could he? She was always so busy, and she looked a little pale. He didn¡¯t want to put more pressure on her. No, it was better to handle things on his own. If things got really bad then he¡¯d bring it up (maybe).
From the corner of his eye, Raphael noticed Lumia standing awkwardly next to two other students. It still shocked him how brilliant the Prospect was. Take this moment, for instance: her inability to sign, her tabula rasa, and the sheer magnitude of her presence all culminated into the most stunningly weird display of just standing there, smiling. Every time she showed up to one of those conversations, the mood deadened instantly and the (lazy) helpers were soon back to the desks, doing their jobs.
Still, he groaned, ushering another pair of chatty students back to the desks, it¡¯s a losing battle. All it¡¯ll take is for Morgan, Lumia, or I to miss one of these conversations and¡ª
¡°Honestly, why can¡¯t we just talk?¡±
Raphael froze on the spot. His head rotated until he caught Tock grinning (smugly) at an ill-looking Morgan, who was gesturing wildly in response. He stared blankly at Tock from across the room, feeling so many emotions at that moment that he simply did not know how to process them.
Or that, he thought. That¡¯ll do it.
¡°But we already got our meuses back,¡± Tock continued, her voice echoing across the room. ¡°We literally cannot fail!¡±
Then Alan shuffled over. With his head thrust forward, he yelled at Tock, ¡°You over-engineered, under-tested half-equation!¡± With each insult his voice cracked a little more. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? You trying to throw the future away?¡±
¡°Oh, shut up!¡± Tock said, rolling her eyes. ¡°I read the rules. You¡¯re all panicking over nothing.¡±
¡°No we¡¯re not, you cat! There¡¯s too much we don¡¯t know.¡±
¡°You¡¯re the cat!¡± Tock retorted, thrusting a finger at Alan. ¡°You just didn¡¯t understand the rules. We only fail if our meus is docked.¡±
¡°I understood them fine. The problem is there¡¯s information missing. From everything. We shouldn¡¯t be making assumptions!¡±
¡°There isn¡¯t! You¡¯re just paranoid.¡±
While they argued, Raphael made sure to put some distance between himself and the fight. He might have had things under control before, but now¡ All about him rose the steady hum of students murmuring, joking, speculating, sharing their (irrelevant) thoughts. Besides, he¡¯d seen enough arguments in his last school¡ªrarely participated in them¡ªand knew things were about to get nasty.
Morgan was trying her best to stand between them, holding both hands up in the hopes it would calm them. But by this point Alan and Tock were in each others¡¯ faces and were straight up ignoring Morgan¡¯s calls for calm (order). Of course, Morgan sought out Raphael. When her eyes settled on him, they practically begged him to help.
Her hair clip was dangling in her hair and not pinning up anything, and her black blazer was creased all over. Her face was pale, her eyes sunken, and her face was etched from stress such that she appeared much older, worn out. Usually, if Raphael saw someone that looked as haggard as Morgan he would have jumped to their aid without a thought. However, this situation was not usual. Even if Raphael did want to help her, there was no way people would show her a modicum of respect when she appeared like that.
So Raphael looked away. Sorry. Can¡¯t help.
He trudged back to his desk, walking on his toes. He usually walked on his toes¡ªan old habit he¡¯d had since he was little¡ªand tended not to notice, but today he was very conscious of it. By this point conversations had sprung up around Raphael. Not sign language conversations but actual, spoken conversations. Whatever damage could be done had already been done.
I know you need help but it¡¯s over. I tried to tell you, Morgan, that the class doesn¡¯t want to pass. Everyone gave up a long time ago and you can¡¯t convince them otherwise.
He sat down at his desk and took his meus out of his pocket. Besides, there was something I wanted to do a while ago but I¡¯ve been so busy keeping everyone else from being failed (stupid) that I could never try it. I mean, I¡¯m aware that I should have spoken up but¡ªno, nobody can speak. We¡¯re on our own. So now I¡¯m going to give this a try. Moving on, trying new things; it¡¯s better than trying to fix this whole mess.
Gingerly, Raphael placed his meus in the dock. There was a brief pause where he was convinced nothing would happen, but to his surprise (excitement) the protective shutter snapped closed on him and the terminal screen lit up. His eyes went wide, and Raphael leaned closer to read the too-small print.
Your test is complete. You may choose to answer another student¡¯s question.
A subtle grin etched onto Raphael¡¯s face. His guess had been right and now he was glad to actually be doing something worthwhile. This needed to be reported to Morgan¡ªafter she sorted out that argument. Which was still happening. Raphael was beginning to feel a little guilty now for abandoning Morgan, but this discovery changed everything. He decided it was best to explore the options this terminal gave before doing anything else.
After some experimentation, Raphael determined four things. One, he could undock his meus using a button in the corner of the screen. Two, he could select any question from any student and answer it as normal. Three, he could not see a question until he selected it. Four, while answering questions, he could not undock his meus. For all intents and purposes, it was just like taking his own test except he passed after answering any question. Raphael sat back and templed his fingers.
At first, it would seem like a convenient method for speeding up the answering process, but in actuality it¡¯s a trap. Say a student had completed their test and decided to help another student. Knowing that some of the questions are near impossible, they could potentially be trapping themself back at their desk. Select the wrong question and more students fail. If too many students choose wrong, the entire class may fail.
He checked the time shown in the bottom corner of the screen. Fifty minutes remaining.
Though he felt a sense of urgency, Raphael knew that acting rashly would only make things worse. He needed a strategy. And what he came up with didn¡¯t fill him with any amount of confidence.
The best approach was to sit every student back at their desks and answer as many questions as possible. If some of them failed, then they¡¯d have to wear the loss. What mattered was ensuring that they met their quota. That itself posed another dilemma. Knowing that it was risky to be locked down again, the students would most likely refuse to comply.
The reason for that was simple: leadership. As it stood, the students did not respect (recognise) Morgan¡¯s leadership. If she ordered students to risk themselves for the team, they¡¯d balk at her orders. However, if those doing the ordering were also seen to be risking their own grades, then the other students would be far more inclined to follow. It was simple enough, but their team of five couldn¡¯t all lock themselves in. They needed to make a choice.
Deciding to discuss further with Morgan, Raphael was about to remove his meus from the dock when a cry sounded from the front of the room, carrying sharp and urgent over a sea of mutterings.
¡°No, I answered everything! Let me go!¡±
Taking advantage of his height, Raphael peeked over the heads of the students to see a girl with silky-blonde hair clawing at the dock cover on her desk, trying to pry it open. She kept shouting, ¡°It¡¯s not fair. I passed. It¡¯s not fair!¡±
He was over there immediately. Placing a hand on the girl¡¯s back to calm her, he made soothing motions until the girl drew away from the dock, placed her hands over her mouth, and met Raphael¡¯s gaze. Tears were welling in her eyes and that made Raphael¡¯s heart fall.
¡°I answered the questions,¡± the girl blubbered. ¡°I answered them. I¡ªit won¡¯t let me go.¡± Then she collapsed onto his chest in a sobbing heap. Thankfully, his jacket was water resistant so the girl¡¯s tears wouldn¡¯t seep in.
Raphael was about to launch into a series of probing questions, but fortunately the girl¡¯s terminal presented the answer:
You have successfully answered your questions. However, you have violated Rule 0 by speaking so your personal terminal will not be released.
Between the sobbing girl and this horrible realisation both weighing down on him, all he could feel was a tightness in his chest and numbness in his legs. Raphael didn¡¯t think. He reacted.
¡°Stop talking, you¡¯ll be locked in!¡±
His voice boomed through the theatre and was greeted with silence, broken only by the sobbing of the girl in his arms. With that silence came the dawning of realisation, and stinging regret. He¡¯d just broken rule zero, and his meus was in its dock. His future played out before him: denied entry to King¡¯s College, forced back to Augustus Academy, facing his classmates in shame, spending the next three years of being prepped for the military, drill instructors lecturing him at every morning training on why he was better off there, and privately haunted for the rest of his life for bugging up his greatest opportunity. He let that regret overwhelm him, then forcefully swallowed it. He had already failed. All he could do now was help (his duty).
Morgan clambered up beside him. She dived at the crying girl¡¯s screen and her eyes bulged once she recognised what it meant. She tried tapping around the screen to see if it would change anything, but the system was locked down, stuck on that message as though to remind the offending student of their crime.
Raphael was about to launch into a spiel about how he thought it best to deal with this new problem, but when he realised Morgan¡¯s hands were shaking he hesitated.
Come on, Morgan. Now¡¯s not the time. We need a plan (hope).
He tapped Morgan on the shoulder and, ignoring the fear in her eyes, signed out everything he¡¯d discovered and how he thought it best to go about it.
From the corner of his eye, Raphael saw Tock at the back of the room standing alone, watching the crying girl. There was so much strain in Tock¡¯s eyes that it seemed the slightest poke would cause her to burst into tears. He knew that feeling all too well: guilt (shame).
Chapter 07 - Then you see the light. Its just before you, always just before you
Tock
This is where I belong, Tock moped. Right at the back of the room where I can¡¯t bug anything up.
There Tock was, sitting on the floor at the back of the theatre with her legs curled up to her chest and her head buried in her knees. She took up the smallest amount of space that a fifteen-year-old girl could, which was smaller than most Platonians since she was frustratingly short. Couple that with her being pressed against the wall and she was almost non-existent. Almost. She had considered taking a corner instead or even hiding in the main hall, but¡ there was the off chance that someone might approach her and say something nice¡ªfor once¡ªand Tock still somewhat hoped that if she looked sad in sight of everyone, then there might be that one good person who would¡ª
Oh, who was she kidding? What was going to happen was that someone would tell her off for being so sulky, and then chide her back to work. Still, they¡¯d be wasting their time! Tock had done almost nothing the entire time she was meant to be helping. She could count on one hand the number of questions she answered correctly; everything else was maybes and I-don¡¯t-knows. Besides, she didn¡¯t feel like doing anything. Not yet, anyway.
Okay, maybe I am being a bit sulky, Tock reasoned. But it¡¯s justified!
Steady conversation shrouded the theatre. As a whole, the noise could be easily blocked out, blending into the background and becoming as unnoticeable as the skydome, but each time a voice pricked up from that cloud of noise it was a cold reminder that Tock had created this scenario. And caused a girl to fail. And Raphael.
Yeah, that was a good enough reason to sulk. I¡¯m just as bad as those greedy folk who left Earth in this sorry state, she reproved herself.
Then something heavy bumped against the wall next to Tock and the faint scent of sweat itched her nose. She looked up and there stood Lumia, breathing a little quickly and flashing that gorgeous smile of hers. Tock had to resist the urge not to smile back. Had Lumia carried some infectious smiling disease with her when she came to Plato? That must have been it.
Lumia slid down and sat cross-legged beside Tock. Then she tried to say¡ something. The taller girl¡¯s smile softened and her brows creased in mock determination. She held up loose fists well below her chin, and her elbows were pressed almost to her body.
Tock cocked an eyebrow. ¡°What? Hold something?¡±
Lumia shook her head.
¡°Hands? Fists? Is that a guard? That¡¯s not a guard.¡±
Lumia lowered her hands and looked off to the side, embarrassed.
Tock squinted at her. ¡°Hey, do you not know how to sign?¡±
The blonde-haired girl hunched forward and covered her face with one hand.
Rather than be upset or surprised, Tock found the whole thing so amusing that she had to stifle a giggle. However, her amusement was short-lived. There was still too much on her mind, too much weighing her down. Tock rested her head against the wall and let out a long sigh.
¡°I know everyone needs my help, but if I screw up again, what¡¯s the point?¡±
Lumia listened without interrupting her¡ªthough it wasn¡¯t like she could interrupt since she didn¡¯t know how to sign! It also seemed there was a mutual agreement to remain silent if you hadn¡¯t already spoken. Regardless, it was nice to have someone listen.
Feeling more confident, Tock continued. ¡°I don¡¯t want anyone else to fail because of me.¡±
Lumia exhaled then shook her head. She grabbed Tock¡¯s arm, manoeuvred it so that her bicep was flexed, then pretended to struggle as she squeezed it.
Tock let out another giggle. ¡°Thanks. No-one has ever called me strong before because I¡¯m really not that strong. I mean, look at me?¡±
Again Lumia shook her head. Then she tapped her heart, as if saying that Tock was strong inside.
Tock frowned. How could she even know? She¡¯s never met me. She doesn¡¯t know what I am.
Drawing her knees back up and leaning into them, Tock let out a long breath. ¡°I wish I were that confident. Seriously, I don¡¯t know how you smile so much when all of this is happen¡ª¡±
She didn¡¯t get a chance to finish the sentence before Lumia, to Tock¡¯s complete bafflement, drew her in for a hug. Layers of emotions buried her. First there was discomfort from someone touching her¡ªa thing that hardly happened in Plato. Then there was sorrow, brought on by a wave of lost memories of her mother, her real mother, drawing her into her bosom. And finally, there was a torrent of guilt and self-loathing prickling through her skin as it was sapped out of her. What remained was mild contentment.
It wasn¡¯t the most comfortable hug since Lumia was quite boney, but it was warm and that¡¯s what mattered. All of Tock¡¯s worries began to fade, and she thought to herself, while nestled in that gentle embrace, that Lumia was the most precious thing that Tock had ever seen.
Once those few sweet seconds passed and human contact became unbearable, Tock detached herself and gave one little sniffle. ¡°Thanks,¡± she hummed. ¡°I never realised how much I needed that.¡±
Lumia returned a gentle smile back, which Tock recognised as an invitation to talk with her at any time. But not now, of course.
Tock hopped up and stretched. ¡°Alright, time to stop whining. What do we have left? A whole¡±¡ªshe pulled her meus out of her blazer pocket. ¡°Forty-five minutes?!¡± she cried. ¡°Ah, if only time travel were a thing.¡±
Lumia stood, smiled, and then they parted ways. This left Tock with a problem: what was she supposed to do? Everyone was trying to help each other and that annoying Morgan was rushing back and forth like a ball in one of those pre-Ascension sports, and getting more frantic with each passing minute. She would have expected Tock to join her, but Tock knew that was a mistake.
Even with all of the work the students had been putting in, they were no closer to passing than they were after Leo unlocked those twenty-odd students. Every question that she¡¯d seen so far was impossible if you couldn¡¯t remember years¡¯ worth of education, and even then it wasn¡¯t enough! But Leo? He¡¯d run off, found something, and used that to unlock twenty students in one go. That was the ticket! All Tock had to do was find whatever method Leo had used. And if it did exist, it wasn¡¯t going to be inside the testing room.
Tock¡¯s eyes settled on the stage. There might not be a show on stage but there is still a show. It¡¯s us. This whole room is kind of like a stage, so naturally there must be someone behind it pulling the strings. Leo went to the balcony, her eyes turned upwards to the large window overlooking the theatre, so I¡¯ll go backstage.
So she headed towards the raised stage with a skip in her step. Hope blossomed in her heart as she climbed up the steps and found the side door that led behind the stage. That was until a grating, whiny voice called her from behind.
¡°Hey, what in this choking world are you doing?¡±
Tock groaned so loudly she was sure she could be heard from the surface. Just when I was finally starting to feel better!
¡°What do you want, Alan?¡± she hissed.
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The black-haired boy joined Tock on the stage. He was slightly out of breath, probably because was so desperate to boss Tock around that he sprinted over here. His shirt was untucked¡ªnot partially like before, but completely¡ªso all in all he looked like a total slob.
His eyes darted about the stage, then settled on the door. Frowning, the sloppy boy growled, ¡°You¡¯re thinking of doing something stupid, right?¡±
Tock¡¯s upper lip curled. ¡°Why do you care what I do?¡± she spat.
¡°Why?¡± he cried, taken aback as though it was the weirdest question he¡¯d ever heard. The gall of him! ¡°Why? Because we can¡¯t afford another mistake.¡±
¡°Oh, and you¡¯re an expert on not making mistakes? Could have fooled me.¡±
¡°What is your problem?¡± he shouted, voice breaking, hands flailing about like they always did when he was upset. Seeing Alan so perturbed gave Tock a sense of vicious satisfaction.
¡°You¡¯re the problem!¡± Tock screeched. She didn¡¯t care that her voice was echoing across the room, or that everyone else had gone silent. There were things that she needed to get off her chest, and she didn¡¯t give a damn who heard. A public execution was befitting of Alan¡¯s crimes against her.
Alan leaned in and held out his hands, begging for Tock to stop. ¡°Will you shut up and just listen to me?¡±
¡°Give me one reason why I should care about your annoying opinions.¡±
¡°Because I¡¯m the only student here¡±¡ªAlan stepped forwards and tapped his temples in time with every word he spoke¡ª¡°who. Uses. Their. Brain!¡±
¡°Yeah? Well try using it on people for a change!¡±
Their argument was interrupted when Morgan stomped onto the stage. She was grinding her teeth and her eyes looked like they would pop out of her head at any moment.
¡®Shut up! Both of you,¡¯ her hands thrashed. ¡®I cannot believe that I have to explain that you need to stop arguing in the middle of a test, while standing on a stage that is projecting your voices to everyone in the room. I have far too many problems to solve right now so I do not want to resolve your personal issues as well. If you want to keep arguing, then leave!¡¯ Without giving Tock or Alan a chance to respond, Morgan spun on her heels and stormed off the stage.
With a huff, Tock stormed off also, leaving Alan to grumble after her. Why do I even bother? Nobody wants me here; they all think I¡¯m the problem. As Tock grabbed the backstage door¡¯s handle, ready to slam it open, Lumia¡¯s beautiful smile popped into her mind. She paused and let her anger subside a bit. Maybe not everyone. I guess if we fail, Lumia will also fail. I don¡¯t want that to happen.
She tried the handle and, to her amazement, the door slid open. Taking a deep breath, Tock entered backstage.
A number of things stood out to her. Firstly, the backstage area was rather spacious and hooked all the way around the stage, leaving plenty of room for props and equipment to be prepared and for actors to ready themselves for their grand moments. Secondly, part of the reason why it was so spacious was because there was no clutter. There wasn¡¯t anything. The whole space had been cleaned out. Thirdly, the fact that she could identify all of these things meant that the lights were already on.
Guess I¡¯m not so stupid after all, she thought. Take that, Alan!
As though Tock had just summoned a demon, the door crashed open and Alan shuffled in behind her. Tock pretended he wasn¡¯t there and started her search.
¡°Hey,¡± Alan called. ¡°Can you at least tell me why you¡¯re here?¡±
Tock searched high along the ceiling for anything of note, but aside from the railings on which curtains and stage lights could be mounted there was nothing.
Alan approached her. ¡°Let me guess. You¡¯re looking for an admin terminal, right?¡±
¡°Oh, so on top of being a cat,¡± Tock muttered to herself, though obviously intending for Alan to hear her, ¡°he¡¯s now reading minds. Huh. Would have been nice if he could do that a week ago.¡±
Another door led away from the main backstage area. She hopped over to it and tried the handle. It was unlocked! She headed in.
¡°Okay, look,¡± Alan rushed, falling in behind her. ¡°I just don¡¯t want a repeat of what happened with Leo. The problem with this test is communication, right? So if someone gets locked away then we can¡¯t give them the information they need.¡±
They were in a wide hall with plain white walls and floor. Doors lined either side which were most likely changing rooms or used for storage. Tock tried the first door. Locked.
Alan continued, ¡°Like, say they can unlock twenty students but they don¡¯t have any information on which one is best. They might unlock students who were just about to pass which would be a huge waste.¡±
¡°Uh huh,¡± Tock said idly. She tried another door. Locked.
¡°I mean,¡± Alan went on, ¡°why did you even think to come here?¡±
¡°Because it¡¯s a show, Alan,¡± she explained like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Alan stared at her incredulously. ¡°That¡¯s it? Like, how is that any different from blindly guessing?¡±
¡°Do you have a better idea?¡± Tock retorted. ¡°Preferably one that isn¡¯t stupid or annoying.¡±
¡°Yeah, actually.¡±
Tock turned on him. ¡°Well?¡± She expected¡ªno, knew¡ªthat this was going to be one of Alan¡¯s hairbrained schemes and it would have been better to just ignore him, but she needed to hear it. That way she could tear it to shreds. Bonus marks if she made him cry!
Okay, that¡¯s a bit harsh. Where did that come from?
Nodding, Alan pulled out his meus. ¡°So when we were listening to the Principal¡¯s speech, right, I saw this icon in the corner. So I tapped on it and a map showed up.¡± A smile broke out on his face. ¡°I didn¡¯t realise it at the time, but it was a map of the testing room and the rooms surrounding it. And¡ªget this¡ªthere were some dots on it.¡±
Tock folded her arms. ¡°Dots,¡± she repeated dryly. She wanted so badly to slap that smirk off his face!
¡°Yeah, I think they were admin terminals. Problem is.¡± He gripped his meus in both hands and stared down at it, scowling. ¡°I can¡¯t remember where they were. I mean, I didn¡¯t try to remember it because I forget stuff all the time. So I took a screenshot, even saved it to local memory rather than using the Network. But since we¡¯re in a test our meuses have been locked out completely. I¡¯ve been trying to find a way around the lockout but haven¡¯t had any luck.¡±
Tock¡¯s face fell. ¡°Wait, are you telling me that you¡¯ve been sitting at your desk for almost an hour trying to get around a lockout so that you could find a screenshot that you believe could tell you where the admin terminals are?¡±
Alan looked up at her with shock written all over his face. He dropped his gaze to his meus, flicked the screen on, stared at it for a few seconds, then stuffed it in his pocket. Turning away from Tock he mumbled, ¡°I hadn¡¯t noticed the time.¡±
Throwing her head back, Tock spun a half pirouette on flat feet and stomped off towards the next door. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you!¡± she howled. ¡°Honestly, I thought I was pretty stupid but you are really something else. This whole time you knew about the admin terminals and you didn¡¯t tell anyone. Instead, you wasted your time, and everyone else¡¯s, staring into your stupid meus! It would have been faster if you¡¯d gone off on your own and opened doors at rand¡ª¡±
A door slid open. On the other side was a tiny room with plain white walls, almost like a prison cell. In the middle of the room was a desk much like the ones the students used. On its terminal was a message that made Tock¡¯s heart skip a beat:
You are an administrator.
I¡ªI did it! I found an admin terminal. I actually did it.
She spun around to Alan, grinning ear to ear, but Alan was neither amused nor confused. More like, there was a look of abject horror on his face.
¡°Don¡¯t!¡± he shouted. ¡°You¡¯ll get locked in.¡±
¡°Too late.¡±
Tock ripped her meus from her blazer pocket and dived for the desk. Alan came hurtling through the door. Before Tock could reach the desk, Alan reached for her and tripped. He crashed into her back and brought both of them to the floor. Tock let out a winded grunt as she landed. Her meus flew from her hands, scattering across the floor.
Her elbows smarting, Tock tried to wiggle her way out from under Alan¡¯s weight. At the same time Alan was climbing forwards hoping to pin her arms. She placed a hand on his face and pushed, causing Alan to let out a grunt.
¡°Get off me, idiot!¡± she sputtered.
¡°Just think it through,¡± he mumbled into her hand.
¡°I¡¯ll give you something to think about!¡±
Tock turned onto her back and grabbed Alan¡¯s head with one hand. With the other, she pinched his nose then yanked it sideways. Alan reeled back and swatted Tock¡¯s arms away, howling in pain. Without hesitation Tock scrambled across the floor and round the desk, then snatched her meus off the floor. She hoisted herself up using the desk.
Before she could shove her meus in the dock however, Alan was up again with one hand pinching his nose. With the other, he seized Tock¡¯s arm from over the desk, the one holding her meus. Tock transferred her meus to the other hand, then Alan grabbed that arm with the hand that had been holding his nose.
Ew, gross. That¡¯s snot, Tock whined. Fine. You had this coming!
Tock twisted one arm towards her to expose Alan¡¯s wrist. Then she lunged forward and sunk her teeth into Alan¡¯s flesh.
First Alan¡¯s eyes went wide, as though in complete disbelief. A second later he let out a long and high-pitched howl. Still he wouldn¡¯t let go so, growling, Tock crunched down even harder until she could taste iron. Alan¡¯s cries grew louder until he finally released Tock¡¯s arms. The moment she was free Tock slammed her meus into the dock and the cover slammed shut. Victory!
Tock leaned against the desk to catch her breath, panting heavily. Alan groaned as he rolled on the floor. Slowly he got up, wincing and rubbing his wrist. A light smearing of blood covered part of his wrist, though it didn¡¯t seem to be trickling heavily enough to be worried. Tock felt a little guilty for that, but no matter! She straightened up and readjusted her headband. Then she folded her arms, raised her chin, and gave Alan a smug grin.
¡°I can¡¯t believe you bit me,¡± Alan griped. ¡°What are you, a savage?¡±
¡°No,¡± Tock panted. ¡°I¡¯m right.¡±
As though to mock her, a click sounded from behind Alan. The door, which had closed automatically during their fight, was now locked. Its indicator light glowed a bright red.
Alan swung his uninjured arm towards the door and cocked his eyebrows. Tock rolled her eyes and circled round to the front of the desk.
¡°Let¡¯s just get this done,¡± Tock grumbled.
Chapter 08 - In your hand there is a torch; the light you seek is just before you
Morgan
Thirty-five minutes. Only thirty-five minutes remaining. And not a single student had been released for the last twenty!
Morgan was doing everything within her power to avoid panicking: busying herself with other students¡¯ questions, solving disputes between the increasingly restless helpers, and when she had nothing else to do she would take mental notes of which students were closest to completion and which students they might need to abandon. Unfortunately, none of those distractions could stop her hands from shaking.
Alan and Tock had abandoned her. Leo had been trapped, by his own idiocy. Raphael was stuck at his terminal. Lumia¡ªMorgan clicked her tongue and sought out that stupid girl from the crowd. She was bent over another student¡¯s desk, scraping at the screen with a stylus.
Finally! She finally decided to help another student answer questions. But it¡¯s too late. A few extra questions answered is great, but what I really need is the helpers to actually help. Can you do that? Can you do anything useful? Choking moron!
Another hand rose beside Morgan. Eager for the distraction, she broke her prioritisation system and answered their question. The girl who flagged her wore the same uniform as Morgan and, as it turned out, she was one of the helpers who was answering another student¡¯s question from her own terminal.
The question that the student was stuck on had something to do with pre-Ascension history: a topic Morgan was not well-versed in. However, an answer did come to mind so she hastily signed it. The student stared at her with her brows pinched, but Morgan paid that no mind. Then she trotted off to find the next student to help.
At least some people are listening, she thought. I suppose I can simply focus on the few students who want to pass. After all, the rest do not deserve a place in this school. They¡¯re useless if they cannot pass a simple test. It took me, what, twenty minutes? If it takes these students more than an hour then they are just¡ª
¡°Morgan!¡±
She whipped around and prepared a flurry of gestures for whichever inconsiderate fool had decided to call her directly, as though she didn¡¯t have a million other things to worry about. However, it was not some inconsiderate student that had called her but Raphael. And he seemed worried. Not wanting Raphael to see her hands were shaking, Morgan folded her arms, tucked her hands away, and rushed over.
¡°I can¡¯t answer this question,¡± Raphael said when Morgan was beside him.
She clicked her tongue, feeling a little disappointed. She had thought much better of Raphael. ¡®Yes, plenty of people cannot answer their questions,¡¯ she signed. ¡®You will need to raise a closed fist to indicate that you are a helper who is stuck and wait for someone to assist you.¡¯
¡°No, I mean,¡± Raphael said, tapping his terminal. ¡°This question can¡¯t be answered.¡± Morgan leaned over the desk.
Sea levels have risen by approximately thirty-four metres globally since 1900 CE (-287 AA). Determine how much further sea levels will rise in another fifty years using regression modelling. Use the data provided below.
Morgan swiped to check the dataset, then let out a gasp. The ¡°data¡± was a set of three vectors pointing in different directions. No tables, no figures, nothing with which to cumulate or divide, just arrows.
She stepped back, still gaping at the screen. ¡®But that¡¯s not¡ªthat¡¯s impossible!¡¯ she signed.
Raphael buried his head in his hands. ¡°I should have noticed it sooner,¡± he spoke. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±
Morgan wrapped her hands around her body to keep her stomach from churning. All of it made sense now: the difficult questions, the strange hints and formulas. The problems they were facing had nothing to do with the incompetence of the students¡ªokay, it had a lot to do with that¡ªbut rather the real problem was that the data they were given for their questions was simply wrong.
But why? Why would the school do this? It is like they were setting us up to fail. Did they really intend for nobody to pass? Is this some punishment for my past failures, because I have been a terrible student all of these years?
Morgan was broken out of her reverie when a girl spoke in dull tones, ¡°Ah, that¡¯s what I was trying to tell you before.¡±
The student that addressed Morgan was a girl with black hair that was most definitely longer than regulation allowed. She tried not to let that bother her. With her hands still shaking, she signed, ¡®You should not be speaking.¡¯
The student shrugged. ¡°Too late. I already spoke.¡±
¡®Still, you should prefer using sign language. If too many students are speaking it will encourage others to follow suit.¡¯
Looking over her shoulder, the black-haired girl said, ¡°Er, I think it¡¯s too late for that.¡±
To Morgan¡¯s frustration, it seemed the student was right. There were few helpers who had not spoken as of yet, and even a number of test takers were beyond help. Morgan had at first tried to encourage those students to keep answering questions, but most of the failed test takers either left their desks to speak with their colleagues, resigned themselves to their failure peacefully, or outright sobbed. The only positive Morgan could think of was that it had not got any worse than that.
So far it seemed that the only consequence to speaking was to lock the speaker into their desk. So far. She could thank other students and their arrogance for that discovery. Morgan, however, was still convinced that there was another trap waiting to be sprung, and she would not be the one to be caught in it.
Brushing a strand of hair from her eyes, Morgan nodded to the girl. ¡®What did you want to say?¡¯
The black-haired girl took a breath. ¡°Everyone¡¯s been talking about it for a while now. Each test has one question where the data or hints they give you are completely wrong. I don¡¯t know for sure, but I think there¡¯s a pattern to it.¡±
¡®What sort of pattern?¡¯ Morgan signed.
The girl shrugged. ¡°I only know that everyone is giving up because of it.¡±
Morgan turned to Raphael hoping for advice, but he only stared at her with raised eyebrows. Great. She had no plan, no direction, and no clue where to go next. Everyone had abandoned her. Well, this student had not, it seemed. That was an opportunity¡ªher only opportunity.
She straightened herself up and tried to appear sturdier than what she felt. ¡®Please investigate these data discrepancies,¡¯ she signed.
The girl frowned at Morgan¡¯s hands. ¡°Can you use simpler words? Or just talk.¡±
Morgan stifled a grimace. ¡®Please find the data.¡¯
The girl opened her mouth to speak, then snapped it shut and nodded, scrunching up her face. She turned and strode off.
Now what? Morgan thought. What else am I meant to do? What the fu¡ªshe screwed her eyes shut and reminded herself that she was not going to give up just yet. When she opened them again she stared at Raphael, pleading with him. Say something. Say anything. Or just¡ªat least say that it will be okay. It will, right?
Raphael made eye contact with her for a fraction of a second then ripped his gaze away. He stood, and Morgan had to crane her neck to meet his eyes¡ªand the tension that corroded his features.
¡°I¡¯m going to go help the other students,¡± Raphael said. ¡°No point doing this.¡± He gestured at his monitor.
¡®Right,¡¯ Morgan signed, turning her back to Raphael. ¡®I had better do the same.¡¯ She knew Raphael could not see her hands. Those words were not intended for him.
She went back to helping. Having a task before her ought to have made Morgan feel better¡ªit was a distraction, something to keep her mind off of her worries¡ªyet she could not rid herself of a horrible tightness that grew at her core. She should have been fulfilled, since by helping others she was, in a very literal sense, helping herself. But there were always more questions. Never ending questions. Her mind kept wondering back to the test, to the helpers asking for help, to her peers having abandoned her, to how it was only her, all alone, abandoned. Panic began to creep its way into her thoughts and she buried it by helping another student. It went by like a dream. The questions all blurred together. The lights from the terminals, the lights that hung above them, melted into ambience. She answered another question, and another. Questions and answers, questions and more questions. Until¡ª
A collision. A student was standing between the rows of desks where he should not have been, chatting with his colleagues. He had stepped back without looking where he was going and crashed into Morgan. Everything went blank for a second. Next thing, she was lying on the hard synthetic floor with the wind knocked out of her.
She lay on her back. Sore, tired, hungry, stomach roiling. She didn¡¯t want to move. Her vision was hazy. Everything was hazy. She heard laughter. At her. They were laughing at her. Yes, always at her. The laughter of crowds was always so discordant. When they laughed together it was madness. Best to pretend she couldn¡¯t hear it. Best to go back to her soundproofed room.
There were lights above her. They dotted the ceiling at perfectly regular intervals. So many of them, so perfectly ordered. She stared up at them. The lights pricked her eyes. She wanted to close them and sleep all the bad things away. But the test was waiting.
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A student stood over her and blocked out the light. Morgan recognised the symbol on his jacket¡ªthe same one emblazoned on her chest. She recognised that smug grin and buzzed scalp, from a student who earlier had been picking fights with another. It was Hervey.
Her throat seized up and she wanted to be anywhere else but there. She couldn¡¯t, though. If she left they¡¯d laugh at her. Besides, the test was waiting.
¡°Hello?¡± Hervey said in a mocking tone Morgan was all too familiar with. ¡°You¡¯re not sleeping, are you, Morgan? I thought you liked tests.¡±
Laughter. There was nothing she could do to stop it¡ªshe had tried. Oh, how she had tried over the years. Best to do nothing. Best to wait for it to pass.
¡°Hey, if you guys knew what she was like at Charlemagne¡¯s you wouldn¡¯t be listening to her,¡± the student continued. His shirt was untucked. That always meant trouble for Morgan. The ones with untucked shirts never listened. ¡°She never used to sit with her classmates at mealtime. She always had a bench to herself in the cafeteria. We called it the Strange Seat.¡±
She was alone. She always was. But now more so than ever, now when she needed so desperately for people to listen. Why didn¡¯t they listen? The test was waiting.
¡°One time someone scored higher than her in a test. From then on, every time she saw the guy who beat her she would get up and leave the room.¡±
It was hazy. She knew that something was waiting. But what? She needed to wait¡ªlet it all out. Something was in her that didn¡¯t belong. Something she¡¯d swallowed. Something she¡¯d savoured at first but later it only brought pain. But what?
¡°Once she had to make a speech in front of the school and she showed up fifteen minutes late. Want to know why?¡± He paused for effect. ¡°Someone caught her vomiting in the bathroom.¡± The students let out a chorus of ews.
Right. It was the fig.
Morgan retched over the toilet bowl, but there was nothing left to expel. That was her fifth time trying to vomit in ten minutes. Everything burned. Everything was miserable.
¡°Are you okay in there?¡± a voice called from the bathroom.
Her breath caught. Had this girl heard her retching? Regardless, Morgan had to answer. If not she would definitely be caught, and that was one more stress which she could not handle, one more source of badgering which she did not want to hear. She braced the toilet bowl and stiffened up every muscle in her body to stifle her trembling.
¡°I¡¯m fine. My stomach is just playing up on me.¡± Her voice was still hoarse¡ªa dead giveaway if this girl knew what to look for.
There was a shuffle outside the door. ¡°Educator Burton says if you aren¡¯t on stage in five minutes, he¡¯ll have to fail you.¡±
Morgan felt another trickle of bile climbing up her throat and she forced it down. ¡°I understand. Five minutes.¡±
It took forever for the shuffling to disappear, and the door to slowly click shut. The moment it did, Morgan heard giggling behind it. The girl knew, she realised. She¡¯d tell everyone now and there was nothing Morgan could do. She spat up the bile she had been holding back, coughing and sputtering as it seared her tongue.
In truth, she really did not want to go on stage. Every student in Charlemagne¡¯s Secondary College hated her. Why? Because they were jealous! Because she was brighter than all of them. The very thought of going on stage and having to speak to all of her schoolmates made her want to¡ª
But speeches were a necessary part of politics. They were necessary for moving the masses. But so was discipline, and she had lacked that earlier today.
She shouldn¡¯t have eaten that fig tart. That¡¯s what had set her stomach off. Morgan knew that was it because it was the only food she had eaten today that was outside of her strict code¡ªa code she had spent the last few years establishing to prevent exactly this sort of thing happening. But that boy had asked her to try it, along with all of his classmates that pushed her so eagerly. Morgan had wanted to say no but they kept nagging and nagging and saying she would like it, saying she never ate anything and she had to loosen up. She should have been firmer. But he just kept pushing.
It was delicious, though, and Morgan had eaten the entire thing when she had sworn she would only take a bite. She regretted it now, and she had known she would regret it before she ate it, but during? She was alive.
But what was it that had set her off, the fig or the tart or even the pastry? A problem for another time; another needless experiment to undertake, and more time spent not studying.
Five minutes. She had to get up. She could not fail. Class Euripides was waiting.
¡°Go on, Guardian. Hit me.¡±
Morgan blinked rapidly as the downlights cast blinding rays across her vision. She grabbed onto the nearest desk and dragged herself up onto unsteady legs. She let out a long, weary groan.
Urgh, my head.
It did not hurt, it was just¡ wrong. Still, she was feeling a bit better than a moment ago. Now she had to¡ª
¡°I will tell you one more time. Back down.¡±
At first Morgan did not recognise that voice. It was far too deep and far too cold. But as her vision cleared, she made out the back of gigantic dark boy towering over another student. Raphael. His hands were flexing sporadically, and he appeared to be mere zeptoseconds away from stomping on Hervey. For his part, Hervey was wearing a horrible smug grin, and pressing his face up to Raphael¡¯s as best his height would let him.
Morgan watched in astonishment. Is Raphael¡ is he standing up for me?
The boys locked eyes for a full minute. The room was tense, like an electric charge ran between them making everyone¡¯s hair prickle with static. Morgan wanted to say something but, at the same time, she also wanted to let Raphael go. She knew that was wrong, yet deep down she thought Hervey deserved it.
Eventually, though, Hervey scoffed and broke eye contact. ¡°Can¡¯t you take a joke?¡± he said.
Other students echoed his sentiment, and heat rose in Morgan¡¯s cheeks. They thought that was a joke? How could they even think that? If Raphael had decided to hit that boy for real, then Morgan would have cheered him on. She would have¡ª
No. Stop it, she told herself. That¡¯s not how a good student behaves. If you fight him you will be just as bad as him, and everything he says about you will be proven right.
Once Hervey strolled off, Raphael stared at his hands in a daze. She needed to thank Raphael once this was all over. Bitterly, she added that to the growing list of things she owed. She was accumulating so many obligations, so many debts that she knew she would never fulfill, to Leo, to Raphael, and even to Lumia for not abandoning her. For now, she prepared herself for the rest of her impossible task and begged her legs to just¡ªstop¡ªshaking!
Leo
What is going on down there?
Leo¡¯s face was still pressed to the glass long after the standoff was over. He¡¯d only caught the last moments of it before that arrogant kid broke away without ceremony. But why was Raphael getting into arguments with his classmates?
The worst part about being stuck in a room with nothing but a test-limited meus, a dead terminal, and a giant window through which one could watch their classmates writhe in captivity was that Leo had nothing to do. Nothing besides take in the utter chaos below him. He was helpless, alone, unable to make even the slightest difference.
If Leo was down there he could have deescalated it. Well, if that other guy had kept pushing and Raphael lashed out, he¡¯d deserve whatever happened to him¡ªwho would be stupid enough to fight Guardian-in-training? Did they have any idea what sort of regimen those students went through? But Raphael wasn¡¯t in a military academy. He was in King¡¯s College, and throwing his weight around would only get him a ticket straight to the surface.
Prying himself from the glass, Leo tried the terminal once more. He placed his meus in the dock, tapped the screen, removed it, tried again. Nothing. This had to be the tenth time. The tenth failure. The screen continued to mock him:
This terminal is no longer operational.
¡°Choke you, do something!¡± he screamed.
He slammed a palm into the monitor and felt a crack. When Leo removed his hand, a crooked scar ran along the centre of the monitor, passing right through the word ¡°no¡±. He felt something warm trickle down his palm. Blood. Clenching his teeth, Leo wiped it hastily on his alert-red blazer. It blended in.
He leaned back and tugged at his hair, whimpering for a few short seconds. After performing another fruitless lap of his prison, Leo slumped down against the glass wall and let his hands flop to the floor.
¡°What¡¯s the point of this?¡± he asked no-one. ¡°As far as I can see there isn¡¯t one. Why would there be? Answer questions? Computers can do that. Why make it so difficult? Why add all these strange rules? It doesn¡¯t test anything except¡ª¡±
He lunged forward as realisation struck him. ¡°Us.¡± He checked his internal logic. ¡°Of course! The point of this test isn¡¯t to see if we can pass, it¡¯s to see how we react to an impossible situation.¡±
Grinning, he shot up and paced around the room, around and around in his tiny cell. ¡°Throw us a few easy questions, let some students pass early, and everything seems fine. Then throw out some harder ones and let the pressure build. Give us vague rules, make us think we¡¯re free, and people stop taking the rules seriously. Put them in a situation where they must work together, then sit back and enjoy as they blame each other when everything goes to Hell.¡±
He tipped his head back and roared, ¡°Well are you watching? Welcome all to the Leo show, a one person play to satisfy all your sadistic fantasies!¡± Leo thrust his hands ahead of him as though trying to rear an invisible audience. ¡°But don¡¯t leave just yet! In our final act we¡¯re going to torture Leo by taking away everything he ever cared for. You don¡¯t even need to bring your knives, because we¡¯ll be trampling on his heart, crushing all of his hopes and dreams. All for your entertainment!¡±
Leo broke out into raucous laughter. Tears welled in his eyes, and he spent so long laughing that he developed a stitch in his side. He had to hold his gut to keep the pain at bay. Finally, he stopped, lowered his hands, and let the last chuckles leave him for good. His anger slowly resurfaced. His face twisted into a scowl. His whole body trembled as fury wracked him, crashing through his insides relentlessly.
¡°Savages,¡± he hissed. ¡°You¡¯re all savages. No, even the humans that turned back to their tribal ways would be more civilised than you. Only a psychopath would do what you did to Milli.¡±
His hands balled into fists, and like a switch had flicked he remembered.
Control. You promised her you¡¯d stay in control. You promised.
Then methodically, step by step, he checked over his body: first he unclenched his fists, then relaxed his shoulders, then unlocked his knees, untightened his stomach, and finally Leo released his scowl. Exhaling, he donned a smile.
Control.
When he looked up, he noticed something that had escaped him so many times before: something so natural in the anaesthetic scenery of Plato¡¯s internals that it had never even occurred to him that he could use it. Camouflaged on the wall, painted the same hospital white as the rest of the room, was the hard casing of a switchboard.
His smile stretched into something wicked, something genuine. Oh, you want your show? I can give you one. I can give you the thing you crave the most.
He rushed over to the desk, picked up the lone chair, then with a grunt tossed it at the box with all his might. It crashed hard against it and left a dent before clattering to the ground. Leo picked up the chair and raised it high.
¡°I can give you chaos.¡±
He brought it down again and again, twisting legs, twisting plastic, until the box¡¯s door bent open. Leo wedged one of the bent legs into it and levered it, throwing his weight against the twisted furnishing over and over until the door popped right open. He tossed the chair aside and chuckled to himself.
¡°Grade this, you cats!¡±
One by one he flipped the switches with a satisfying click. One by one the lights winked out of life.
With all the force he could muster, with every molecule of hate and misery he had welled up inside of him, he bellowed, ¡°Fuck your test, fuck your rules, fuck your cameras, but most importantly, fuck this school!¡±
Once the last switch was turned, the theatre, the control station, and all the madness it restrained was left in darkness. Baring his teeth, Leo stepped back and admired his ingenuity. He felt relieved, emptied of whatever horrible substance had been simmering inside of him. But as his eyes adjusted it dawned on him that there was still a source of dull light beaming onto the wall before him.
No, it¡¯s not true.
He turned stiffly, like his neck had rusted over, and when his eyes settled on the desk Leo¡¯s worst fears were realised.
This terminal is no longer operational.
Leo¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°Are you serious?¡±
Chapter 09 - False light. Artificial hope. Burning bright. Cold stone.
Lumia
A poor girl sobbed at her desk. A young man argued with his friend. Some students played games with each other by the lights of their devices. And Morgan¡ªbless her fragile heart¡ªstumbled around aimlessly in the dark. Lumia witnessed it all unfold from atop the stage. Smiling.
What else could she do? Well, plenty of things, but given how out of control the situation had become she doubted she could recompose such a panic-stricken class. Already some of the students had tried to draw the curtains apart, only to find that they were false¡ªless practical and more art. So in their frustration, or perhaps on a dare, they decided they would tear the fabric from its upholsters. This prompted Morgan to rush on over, waving her arms frantically, hopelessly.
To make matters worse, three of her five new friends were missing and nobody was interested in finding replacements. Only Morgan remained¡ªand Raphael, who had decided to remain at his desk to answer questions, rather than do as Morgan bid him. Raphael had shown remarkable persuasion earlier. When he stepped in to assist Morgan he was, well, a little terrifying. But now, glued to his desk? Dull. Detached. Dissatisfying. Overall, ineffective.
Maybe I should say something, she considered. Though at this point it might have been no more fertile that a seed planted in stone.
It had been abundantly clear to Lumia, right from the moment that the test had been announced, that the meaning of it all was not to determine admission. They¡¯d already done so many assessments to enter this school; why bother throwing another obstacle at them at all? The inconvenience, the logistics; it all served no mission! Furthermore¡ªand she recalled each letter of their makeshift law as clear as glass¡ªat no point had they ever been informed on how they could pass. They had only been told how they would fail, and fail they would!
Only a month had passed since Lumia had been granted entrance to this wonderful and absurd city. Ascension was what they called it, and she had to bite her tongue not to scoff at a word so haughty! Regardless, her entrance had involved far more rigorous testing than this little game. Aside from the excess of questions meant to break all but the most exceptional, there was a glut of psychological, physiological, virological, and phrenological criteria which Lumia had been required to meet. Judging from her experiences, this test seemed less like those intended to measure her intellect and almost exactly like those intended to test her demeanor.
In truth, that disappointed Lumia. The difficulty of her entrance tests had suggested to her that Platonians were a brilliant bunch. She figured those requirements had been a minimum, a threshold which one must surpass to be accepted into the lowest floors of this heavenly spire. Lumia¡¯s surprise had been palpable when she was informed that she had been admitted into the most prestigious of educational facilities¡ªelevated to the mountain¡¯s summit, so to speak. And though some of the questions given in this test were absurd, some which the students struggled with were so¡ beneath her. All of this implied a greater and simpler truth: that the purpose of this test was not to slash and burn, but to sift the gold from the pyrite, to weed out albatross and rat alike.
Rat. That was what she had called Leo, had labelled him to animate him. Oh, and reanimate he did. That husk of a man had elevated the class to a higher and brighter land, then dragged it into the depths of the curdling oceans.
This is probably my fault, she wavered. I should not have encouraged him. It was clear he was quite disturbed, and my actions only helped to normalise him, socialise him, and spread his fears like a disease. Now all of this¡ª
A boy ran across the room, sounding a war cry. At the last moment he leapt up and threw a flying kick at the shelter which protected his device. The impact made him stop too suddenly. He spun and crashed onto the floor with a pained grunt. Lumia was struggling really hard to keep her smile from slipping.
Okay, this has gone on for long enough. Time to get tough.
Well, she wasn¡¯t actually planning on doing anything tough, she just liked the phrase. Earlier, Lumia had figured that she would let the test play out as it may. Morgan had managed to convince the class to follow her lead, and Lumia didn¡¯t want to interfere! But now everything had gone awry, so it was time to stop watching and to start acting.
She closed her eyes and pried at a few tendrils of memory¡ªmap, dot, hall, room, stage. It was there, somewhere. Just over an hour ago, as they were watching the Principal¡¯s speech, Alan¡¯s device had shown a map of sorts and Lumia had partially committed it to memory. She only needed the right invocation to¡ªah!
The stage beckons; I¡¯m part of the show
At my side does the first star follow
When the audience calls I enter from the flank
While the second stands aloof at the back
They shout, ¡°A star is born; the lights are yours¡±
To center stage the third star draws
But once my eyes pry open I¡¯ve lost the stars I seek
So I¡¯ll search in the skies and check beneath my¡ª
Lumia looked down, and as she shifted her slippered foot aside she could see it, dull as the clouded moon yet brilliant as the sun: a shaft of light pouring through a gap in the floorboards.
Feet!
Grinning, she dropped to her knees and felt around for, well, anything: a latch, a crack, something with which to pry the floor open. Then her finger slipped into a divot and she knew she had struck water! Lumia angled herself to better lever the gap and, with all her might, yanked upwards.
Ouch.
She fell onto her backside. Her finger had slipped out of the divot and had scratched on its way out, leaving it raw and stinging. Giving her hand a shake, she stood and sought out an alternative means of opening the latch. It took her only a moment to locate it: a frazzled girl running back and forth across the room with her device held out in front of her, light issuing forth to flash a meagre warning at anyone it passed over.
Lumia¡¯s heart sank at the sight of her. I think she needs a break.
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And so Lumia finally made her move. She approached Morgan¡ªchased her around the room, more like¡ªthen tapped her on the shoulder. Morgan whirled around and cast her light on Lumia¡¯s face, blinding the blue-eyed girl and making her squint. Realising what she had done, Morgan lowered her device and Lumia blinked away the white spots in her vision. Morgan said nothing, made no hand signs, or did anything at all. Rather, she stared at Lumia, and in the ambience and flashes of electronic lights Lumia met her gaze¡ªmet the eyes of a broken soldier, freshly returned from the bloodshed. That really saddened Lumia, and it affirmed more certainly that she needed to act, that she needed to save this brilliant girl from the madness.
Some rules are made to help, while others are engineered to harm, she considered.
Lumia wore her most comforting smile and then, without waiting for permission, clasped Morgan¡¯s hand in her own. The harrowed girl flinched the moment they made contact and tried to rip her hand away. Lumia didn¡¯t give her a chance, letting her hands flow around Morgan¡¯s like water such that they stay gripped to hers. Lumia stepped in closer, staring affectionately into the scared girl¡¯s eyes.
¡°Morgan, you have done so well,¡± she began, lacing her words with as much love and care as she could manage. Yes, she had broken rule zero, but if ever there were a time to break a rule, it was now. She pressed on. ¡°You have led your crew through turbulent waters, stood boldly at the helm as the waves crashed against your ship, and fended off the monstrosities that rose from the deep, managing it all with such a brave face.¡±
The girl¡¯s expression softened a little, and Lumia knew it was time to lower the blade. She donned a forlorned and distant gaze, as though lamenting the aftermath of a once-proud vessel that now lay about them in pieces.
¡°But no ship can survive a storm too fierce. I¡¯m sorry, but it was never meant to be.¡±
Morgan¡¯s expression shifted again: heat, frustration, self-loathing.
Lumia fixed Morgan with a heated gaze. ¡°However, when a ship is broken we do not surrender to the whims of the ocean. Our failures will show us where the errors wiled within in our notions. When day breaks, new opportunities arise. We must seize it to claim our prize!¡± Lumia squeezed Morgan¡¯s hand more firmly. Morgan¡¯s frown deepened, which was not a good sign, but it was too late for Lumia to reverse course. ¡°There may be another way! It is only a hunch, but I can show you: a place where the light shines through the darkness. Come, I¡¯ll show you.¡±
Laughter and cries clashed all about them. Seconds passed¡ªlong, tender seconds¡ªas the two girls, both brilliant and broken in their own ways, held each others¡¯ gazes; two estranged expressions connected through the clasping of hands. The connection broke¡ªMorgan drew her hand from Lumia¡¯s pleading grasp and looked away, down to where the unnatural light of her device illuminated nothing. Her mouth contorted into a miserable frown.
Lumia understood that expression before she could put it into words. She felt her lips growing taut and her hands, still frozen in front of her where they had been clasping Morgan¡¯s hands, now tensing up from her desire to slap this girl silly.
Oh, no, you¡¯re not crying on me! You¡¯re better than the rest of the rabble, so you don¡¯t get to be miserable today. Not so long as I have a say.
Seizing the initiative, Lumia swept behind Morgan and placed a hand on her back, gently prompting her forward. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±
The shorter girl glanced back at Lumia with a disgruntled look, then dug her heels in. Frustrated, Lumia pushed a little more forcefully but Morgan wouldn¡¯t budge. Not, difficult-to-move-because-she-was-deadweight, but rather Morgan didn¡¯t move at all. Having enough of this drama, Lumia planted both hands on Morgan¡¯s back and leaned her whole weight onto the shorter girl. Finally Morgan took a step. One. Singular.
She¡¯s so solid; I can barely get her to hustle. And, oh goodness! Is that muscle? These Platonians are just impossible.
With a sigh, Morgan eventually relented and allowed Lumia to guide her to the trap door. When they reached their approximate destination, Lumia gestured to Morgan to put out the light and Morgan pressed her device to her stomach. She squatted and motioned for Morgan to join her on the floor.
Lumia pointed at it. ¡°See?¡±
But Morgan glanced up at Lumia, seeming confused. So Lumia covered the gap in the floor with one hand and removed it again. Morgan stared at it, now more confused.
Hope lies right before your eyes, and you still cannot see it? Are you daft or simply wish not to succeed?
So Lumia covered it again. ¡°No light,¡± she said. Then she removed her hand and let the shaft trickle through. ¡°Light!¡±
This time Morgan snapped up and her shock was plain as grey. Grinning, Lumia took her hand¡ªMorgan flinched again but didn¡¯t snatch it away¡ªand guided it toward the divot.
¡°And I believe you can open it from here,¡± Lumia clarified.
Morgan nodded and stared down at her hand, the wheels plainly turning in her mind. She then looked up again at Lumia and made a series of gestures: she mimed prying something open, then pointed at Lumia, then threw her hands up in an exaggerated shrug. Why didn¡¯t you open it?
¡°You see, it¡¯s the silliest thing. I tried to open it myself but,¡± Lumia leaned in and whispered, ¡°I¡¯m not very strong.¡± She scrunched up her mouth in embarrassment.
Morgan narrowed her eyes, then shook her head in disappointment.
Silly, depressing girl, Lumia grumbled. At least laugh so I don¡¯t feel like such a fool, you muscle-monster.
Putting on a reflexive smile, Lumia encouraged, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s see what¡¯s down there.¡±
Nodding, Morgan passed her device off to Lumia who angled it towards the hatch. Morgan positioned herself in a squat, squeezed her finger into the divot, then with a grunt heaved skyward. The hatch gave way effortlessly, flying back so violently that it bounced on its hinges and slapped shut again. Morgan¡¯s eyes shifted between the hatch and Lumia, seemingly dazed.
Knowing what was coming, the taller girl grinned in the hopes it would smooth things over. ¡°Amazing, you¡¯re so strong!¡±
Of course it didn¡¯t work. Morgan scowled, doing absolutely nothing to hide her discontent. She slammed open the hatch with one hand then thrust the other hand in Lumia¡¯s direction to demand her device be given back, to which Lumia complied. Growling quietly, Morgan flashed the light down into the darkness.
Lumia gingerly peered over the hole, ensuring to keep her body positioned far back so that nothing short of an intentional shove would cause her to fall in. It didn¡¯t prevent a feeling of nausea sweeping over her, unfortunately. The floor below was bland concrete and there were a number of pillars from which shadows sprung away from them, shifting lively as Morgan¡¯s hand jittered. Even in the torchlight Lumia could easily make out the ambient blue glow which permeated into every corner, breathing light into places that ought not to be seen.
Morgan angled the device and revealed a ladder that converged onto the floor below. Without hesitating, she leapt onto the ladder and descended. Lumia¡¯s eyes bulged as she disappeared and her legs began to tremble. She was alone. At the top of the hole. With no way to go but down.
I have nobody to blame but myself, she thought, attempting to galvanise her resolve. I wanted this. I can¡¯t back out now. I can¡¯t leave Morgan on her own; who knows if her wits will stay sound.
Taking a deep breath, Lumia rolled herself onto her stomach then swung her legs over the hole. She edged back slowly, carefully, feeling each edge with her feet. She lowered one leg and quested for a rung. Then her foot made purchase and she let out a heavy sigh of relief. Gathering her wits, she lowered herself tentatively, refusing to look down, one rung at a time, one rung at a time, one rung at a¡ª
Her foot bumped into something both hard and soft and she let out a yelp. In her fright she lost grip on the ladder and dropped in a heart-stopping rush. She didn¡¯t get far, however, as her fall was broken by a shoulder, then an arched back. She sloughed off her makeshift cushion and collapsed onto the ground, her body uninjured but her heart pounding wildly.
Catching her breath, Lumia lurched off the ground and stared up at her saviour¡¯s back. It took a moment to register that Morgan was standing right in front of the ladder, glued to the ground, unflinching. And that Lumia had both bumped into her on the way down and subsequently fallen on top of her.
¡°Oh, Morgan, I¡¯m so sorry,¡± she rattled. ¡°I wasn¡¯t looking¡ªI was so absorbed in my footing¡ª¡±
But Morgan didn¡¯t even acknowledge Lumia¡¯s existence. She stared, as though possessed, at a point in the distance to where her light shined ominously. Buried between discarded stage props, and connected umbilically to the darkness via cable, was a desk exactly like those in the testing room. Its monitor gave a timer, a countdown:
22:36
Chapter 10 - Darkness.
Lumia
Time ticked away on the device¡¯s screen. It should have been a prompt to Lumia that she needed to get off her butt and do something, but too many disparate words clouded her mind, arresting as they fought through the corridors of her mind, seeking for a home in which they could fit. Morgan, however, had already done her gaping and rushed over the device, the light cast from her meus jouncing away with her.
Her eyes adjusting to the dim glow of the device¡¯s monitor, Lumia strode over to Morgan¡¯s side. She paused briefly when she met a pair of cold blue eyes, framed in a thin and frail face. Her own eyes. Someone had placed a mirror next to the desk, or perhaps the mirror had always been there and it was they who intruded on its dust-collecting slumber. Lumia knew it ought not to matter, but it did. These insignificant things always impressed upon her, cocooning themselves deep within her thoughts and metamorphosing into words, rhythm, and torrents of emotion. Soon she¡¯d have to let it fly, let it be free, but not now.
Ripping her eyes away, Lumia joined Morgan. The frazzled girl had pulled out her device and was staring at the dock. She turned to Lumia for reassurance, to which Lumia gave a smile and a nod.
Morgan took a deep breath. She switched off the torchlight, leaving them in the sickly glow of the monitor, then slipped her device into the dock. They held their breath as they waited for the protective cover to close, but it never did. Instead, the terminal¡¯s screen went blank and was replaced with a texting display, similar to the one Lumia had seen on her personal device. Then a message appeared.
Terminal: What did Schr?dinger place in a box?
Morgan¡¯s head spun to face Lumia with confusion written all over her. The answer to such an elementary question was obvious; what Morgan¡¯s eyes asked, and what Lumia wished to know as well, was why the question was being asked. Lumia shrugged. Frowning, Morgan typed her answer.
Morgan: Cat.
A few seconds passed, then another question arrived.
Terminal: What does a cat look like?
This time Morgan betrayed a look of genuine confusion. It took Lumia a moment to realise what that meant.
¡°Have you never seen a cat before? As in, a picture,¡± she added.
Morgan shook her head.
Lumia bit her lip, barely able to contain her excitement. ¡°Maybe I can¡¡±
She waved her hands and Morgan abdicated the seat. Taking her place at the desk, Lumia typed out her response one painstaking letter at a time. She was still getting used to these fancy physical keyboards. Typing on these was an act of half muscle memory and half intuition.
Lumia: Furry
Terminal: What else?
Lumia: Cute
She flashed a grin to Morgan, who was staring at the screen in complete puzzlement.
Terminal: Who are you?
Lumia: I am Lumia
Before she could tap the enter key, Morgan caught her hand and pointed at her own personal device, still resting in the dock. Lumia stared at it for a long while, then gave Morgan a regretful look.
¡°If they¡¯re asking, they probably already know.¡±
Furrowing her brows, Morgan nodded and released her hand. Lumia took a deep breath, then hit enter.
Terminal: You are using Morgan¡¯s personal device. Are you cheating?
Morgan buried her head in her hands and let out a groan, but Lumia only grinned. What a fun game!
Lumia: Absurd! There are no rules preventing the sharing of devices.
She was particularly proud of that response but wasn¡¯t at all surprised by the device¡¯s reply.
Terminal: But rules can be implied. Isn¡¯t it natural to think that completing another student¡¯s test for them is cheating?
Lumia: Absurd! The test cannot be passed without answering other students¡¯ questions.
Terminal: Say there was a rule preventing the answering of other students¡¯ questions. Then doing so would be cheating, wouldn¡¯t it?
Lumia: Obviously.
Terminal: And say that such a rule existed but had not been explicitly divulged to you. Should you break that rule, would that be cheating?
It¡¯s an obvious trap, Lumia realised. This device¡ªno, whoever is speaking to me¡ªis trying to convince me to atone for sins I have not committed. But why? What are they working towards? I¡¯ll have to keep them talking and discover their intentions.
Lumia: And under what circumstances would it be acceptable not to explicitly divulge such vital information?
The reply was instant.
Terminal: When a social contract exists.
Well, she walked right into that one. A social contract, an implied set of rules between a society¡¯s rulers and subjects. If the Educators expected them not to do use another student¡¯s device, then the students were obliged to follow regardless of whether that rule had been ratified. In return, so long as students would not break that rule, perhaps, the Educators would allow them to use their devices as they saw fit. It would have been simple enough issue to address, so long as one understood the contents of the social contract. Being new to Plato, Lumia did not. She turned to Morgan wondering if she had any insight, but Morgan only stared hard at the screen.
The best I can do is redirect this line of reasoning. If I keep my feet on this ground, then it could fall out beneath me.
Lumia: Naturally, but since a social contract can be fabricated by a leader, it¡¯s necessary to question it.
Terminal: How so?
Lumia: The leader can force others to follow a set of ideals. Those ideals form the foundation of the social contract.
Terminal: Then it¡¯s a contract that only one person believes in. How would they enforce it?
Lumia: By using propaganda and fear to convince others to follow it.
Terminal: In that case, the people would agree with the leader. It doesn¡¯t matter why; they agree with the leader¡¯s ideals, an agreement will be struck, and therefore a social contract will be employed.
Terminal: How would this be any different from a leader that enacts the people¡¯s will without compromise?
Ah, an easy one! Lumia delighted. Finally, I¡¯m on the attack.
Lumia: Because it was fabricated. That makes it unrealistic and impractical.
Terminal: Aren¡¯t all beliefs filled with assumptions that are later proven false?
Lumia: Yes, but think of what would occur to Plato if a leader¡¯s poor ideals were enforced. Even I know that there are sensitive systems which if not carefully maintained can cause the city to¡ª
Before she could finish typing, the text log ticked up and the device gave its response.
Terminal: We are not talking about Plato, we are talking about you.
Terminal: Would you break the rules if you believed they were built upon lies?
She exchanged a baffled look with Morgan. This more or less confirmed they were being monitored and that communicating through the device was a pretence. By cutting her off, whoever Lumia was speaking to had asserted their authority, dictated the pace and direction of their debate. She needed a way out. She held down the backspace key and let the text disappear, buying her precious seconds to think.
Maybe if I argue that my desires align with Plato¡¯s¡ªno, that¡¯s an obvious lie. I¡¯ve been here for a month. Maybe morality? I recall an ethical theory regarding adherence to authority as part of my education materials. No, wait, it argued in favour of obeying authority for the purpose of furthering a goal. No, that¡¯s it! The goal¡ªthere is none.
Lumia: I¡¯m referring to the overall goals of the leader. They may be immoral, and if a leader is unwilling to listen to their subjects then¡ª
Terminal: But wouldn¡¯t strong leadership be necessary for bringing about the change necessary to fix immoral behaviour?
She flinched as she was cut off again. It wasn¡¯t her fault that she typed so slowly! She only received her first device a few years ago, delivered from Plato itself to help with her studies. Either way, Lumia held the backspace key and thought carefully about her next response.
Vaguely, she realised they were veering away from the place they had begun. However, it was too late to go back. She only hoped it would lead to a positive outcome, because at this rate they would argue forever about everything and nothing!
Lumia: Yes, strong leadership is necessary, but it may not be best for the people.
Terminal: It¡¯s very common for people to claim their political adversaries are not acting in the interests of their people. Do you mean to say that it¡¯s not best for YOUR people?
Lumia¡¯s hands froze over the keyboard. So many traps! So many conundrums. Lumia was used to arguing with people, but this? There were too many things happening at once. Too many words, ideas, and fragile connections between them. Her head thumped. She needed to slow down. She needed to focus¡ª
¡°That¡¯s not fair!¡± Morgan shouted.
Lumia rounded on her. ¡°No, don¡¯t!¡±
¡°No. These rules are not fair,¡± Morgan pressed on. Her hands were balled into fists by her side and she looked like she could burst into tears at any moment. ¡°How can anyone pass the test like this? The only way we can pass is to break the rules.¡±
Terminal: If a rule is unfair then should you be allowed to break it?
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
They both froze and stared at the screen.
So they were listening, Lumia resigned. Wonderful. Now I need to see if I can salvage this thing.
Morgan¡¯s confusion faded and was replaced with a newfound fervour. Heat rose in her cheeks and she scowled at the screen. ¡°Of course! The rules of this test are supposed to be broken.¡±
Terminal: And there should be no consequences just because YOU claim it is unfair?
¡°I don¡¯t claim it¡ªthey are unfair.¡±
Terminal: Do you agree with this line of reasoning, Lumia?
Lumia faced her classmate, her kindred spirit, and felt only sorrow. This was exactly her line of reasoning. The only reason she hadn¡¯t said it up until now was because she knew this is where it would end up. ¡°Fair¡± was as foreign a concept to Lumia as the blooming of flowers was in her desolate home. Yet she had seen flowers on her short trip to King¡¯s College.
Flowers. She had words for those, which she wished so badly to write down. Flowers with names she did not know. Flowers with colours she could not name. Colours she¡¯d witnessed by the backlight of a screen. Images brought to life, more vivid than what mere names could conjure. She wanted to fall into them, to drift away on their fragrance. She wanted¡ª
Ah, stay focused! She shook her head to clear it then gave her answer.
¡°Yes, this test is intentionally unfair. The questions are too difficult, and the rules are designed to drag down the successful students. At this rate, every student is equally doomed to fail, regardless of their effort.¡±
The device¡ªtheir adversary¡ªdid not respond for a while, and for the briefest moment Lumia thought her answer may have been a good one. But of course, hope was the crutch of the weak.
Terminal: There appears to be a misconception. Morgan and Lumia, you have both assumed that we want students to pass the test. But where was this stated?
¡°What?¡± Morgan breathed.
Lumia¡¯s head drooped. I should have known.
Terminal: If humanity fails to save this world, then aren¡¯t we all doomed, regardless of the efforts of the greater few?
¡°But that is,¡± Morgan started. ¡°But if we don¡¯t allow the greatest amongst us to shine, then we stand no chance of fixing this world.¡±
Terminal: Except, the brightest cannot achieve that goal without their society¡¯s support. Therefore, if you refuse to listen to their whims, you¡¯ll fail.
That was¡ completely ridiculous. Since when did those above care about the whims of those beneath? Though frustrated, Lumia didn¡¯t get a chance to respond to this hypocrisy as Morgan barged towards the device and pressed her face to the screen, almost knocking Lumia out of her chair.
¡°What do you want?¡± she cried, her voice breaking. ¡°What are we supposed to do?¡±
Terminal: I want you to answer my questions.
¡°But we did! We answered all your questions and you keep asking more. When do they end?¡±
Terminal: You haven¡¯t answered them adequately, so I had to ask more.
¡°What question? What are you saying?¡±
Terminal: What does a cat look like?
Now Morgan was fuming, her features set into a snarl. She spoke slow and low. ¡°We do not know what cats look like because humanity wiped them out over three hundred years ago.¡±
What? That¡¯s not¡ Lumia thoughts were arriving sluggishly. This is all so wrong. I know it is, but the reason, it¡¯s so¡ª
Terminal: Since you can¡¯t answer it, I¡¯ll give you an easier question. What do YOU want?
This conversation was overwhelming. Too many thoughts, too many ideas poking into Lumia¡¯s mind. ¡°Morgan, please. Stop,¡± Lumia groaned.
But the wild-haired girl wasn¡¯t listening. By the light of the screen, Lumia saw a faint shimmer of tears on Morgan¡¯s cheeks. She needed to help Morgan, but this argument, all the philosophical concepts thrown about like bullets in a war, it was too much. She just wanted to curl up in bed and write it all out.
¡°I want to pass this test. I want to be accepted into King¡¯s College. I want to be in Class Euripides. I¡¯ve dreamed of attending this school ever since I was young.¡±
Lumia put her head in her hands and groaned. She tried not to think, tried to block out the words, tried not to let them tug at her memories. She didn¡¯t want to remember. She didn¡¯t want them to see.
Terminal: And you believe you shouldn¡¯t fail because you deserve not to?
¡°Yes!¡± Morgan wailed. ¡°I¡¯ve done everything that has been asked of me. I study every day, even the extra materials. I achieve top scores on every test. I never break any rules and encourage every student to do the same. I join every society that I can make time for.¡±
Words. They were familiar. Lumia had heard them somewhere, had banked them in a place far upstream where she kept all those memories she wished to never recall again. She thought of the flowers. She thought of Morgan¡¯s tears. Those distractions didn¡¯t work. The words pressed against the walls, threatening to spill over.
¡°Why is none of this good enough for you?¡± Morgan went on. Her breath was acrid, corroding Lumia¡¯s grip on the present. ¡°Please, tell me. What did I do wrong?¡±
The flood gate opened; the river roared. Lumia gasped as she was swept away by the torrent.
¡°What did I do wrong? Mama, please forgive me.¡±
Lumia could only watch as a man¡¯s life was sucked from his body, lash by lash. Despite this, she was relieved¡ªrelieved that this was the one day that she was not expected to smile. She wouldn¡¯t have been able to if she tried.
She sat atop a viewing platform erected to elevate the Crick above the crowd. Anyone would have thought it an honour, but the welts on her back reminded her that the Crick had no more respect for her than the man whose torso was being flayed. The welts, and the trembling girl that clung to her leg. Lumia wasn¡¯t sure if the girl¡ªher little sister¡ªtrembled from her sobbing or if she was cold from the rain.
Another lash struck, the man cried in agony, and Lumia winced just as she had with every blow. Gripping her sister¡¯s hand, she leaned towards the Crick.
¡°Is it really necessary to lash him so many times?¡± she whispered. ¡°He¡¯s already going to die; why not end it?¡±
The corner of the Crick¡¯s mouth twitched upwards. Rivulets of grey water ran down his bald and scabby scalp and were caught in the rolls of his overstuffed cheeks. His bloated gut was bejewelled with shinies: aluminium scraps, old memory disks, and any other reflective trinkets from the old world that could be hung on a chain around his neck. Today was one of the few days that had been blessed with rain. The Crick had decided to proceed with the execution anyway, so the people, given no choice but to witness the spatter of the poor man¡¯s blood, stood by with buckets on their head, collecting what meagre rations they could. Most of the buckets were already filled to the brim. In a way, this was more a torture for them than the man sentenced to death.
¡°Why? You trying ta get away?¡± the Crick croaked.
Lumia fixed her gaze in the direction of the wailing man¡ªthere would be consequences if she turned away. She let her eyes remain unfocused so the execution was but a blur of browns and crimsons. ¡°Of course not. I just think the people would be happy if it were over with. It is raining, after all.¡±
¡°He killed a soldier,¡± the Crick spat. ¡°The rain can wait.¡±
There was another pause in the beatings. Though she was doing her best not to see the man¡¯s suffering, there was little she could do to drown out his babbling.
¡°Please, forgive me. I don¡¯t know what I did. Forgive me, Mama.¡±
Lumia leaned in closer. ¡°But what if he really didn¡¯t do it?¡±
The Crick scoffed. He shot Lumia a cold sneer and her insides turned under the pressure of his gaze. ¡°He had beef with the victim, and three people claim they saw him. He did it.¡±
Even with the rain beating down on her, even with the man¡¯s screams, Lumia could clearly hear something pop. As one, the crowd let out a horrified yelp, and her sister¡¯s wails climbed as high as the tortured man¡¯s. It took every bit of willpower Lumia had not to retch.
¡°If they wanna get outta here faster,¡± the Crick growled, scowling at the bloody mess, ¡°then they should tell that piece of shit ta confess.¡±
Swallowing, Lumia gave her respects. ¡°Of course, sir.¡±
¡°And tell her,¡± the Crick hissed, jutting his fat chin at Lumia¡¯s sister, ¡°that that if she doesn¡¯t shut up I¡¯ll be putting her down there.¡±
At once it passed, leaving a distant queasiness and a burning desire to tear the world to shreds. Beside her, Morgan was still shouting, and the device had given a number of new responses since Lumia had zoned out.
No more.
Lumia¡¯s hand struck out and covered Morgan¡¯s mouth. Immediately the dark-eyed girl paused, flinched, reeled back to escape, and Lumia¡¯s hand chased her so that Morgan¡¯s wails remained sealed. With her free hand, Lumia typed the absurd truth, one painful letter at a time.
Lumia: Clementine
There was a pause. Morgan stared quizzically at the screen. Lumia¡¯s heart pounded and her breath came short and shallow.
Oh, dearest sister, please forgive me for using you like this. Though I know you never will.
Terminal: I don¡¯t understand.
¡°That¡¯s the answer. To every question you asked me.¡±
Another pause.
Terminal: Explain.
Lumia took a deep, shuddering breath. ¡°You asked when I would break the rules. The answer is, for Clementine. You wanted to know when a social contract was wrong. The answer is, when it threatens Clementine. Why am I here? Clementine. What do I want? To protect Clementine. That¡¯s all that I am, and that¡¯s all that matters to me.¡±
The room fell silent. Lumia¡¯s breath rattled, loud enough to drown out the riot above them. Her heart raced as she waited patiently for the end of her.
Terminal: Would you abandon Plato for your sister¡¯s sake?
¡°Yes.¡±
Terminal: Would you end your own life to save her?
¡°Yes.¡±
Terminal: Would you destroy this world if she asked you to?
¡°Yes. Yes. A thousand times, yes!¡± Her eyes stung, her throat burned¡ªemotions breaking the barrier between mind and body, carrying her away in a deluge of rising heat and falling tears. ¡°If I had to choose between my sister and the world, then I¡¯d take a torch and with these hands I¡¯d set the world ablaze!¡±
She was standing, she realised, thrusting towards the screen, using one hand to prop herself up on the desk. She was snarling, and her nails dug into whatever surface they could find. She was ready for the challenge, ready for whatever assault her enemy threw her way.
Terminal: One last question.
Terminal: Suppose that, right now, we are about to execute Clementine. We offer you a chance to save her. All you must do is kill the student standing next to you. Would you do it?
The question struck her like a gale, clearing the fog surrounding her mind. Her body iced over and she was aware. Her neck was stiff, her heart was pounding in her chest, something warm brushed against her hand¡ªMorgan!
Her hand was still on Morgan¡¯s mouth, and in her stupor she had dug her nails in deep. Blood trickled down Morgan¡¯s chin and dripped onto the floor. However, Morgan made no effort to remove it. She observed Lumia with an expression akin to bewilderment, or perhaps it was terror. Tentatively, Lumia removed her hand, then clasped it tightly with her other, trying to hide the blood.
¡°Morgan, I¡ª¡± she began, but Lumia was not sure what she could have said that would make this better. She hung her head and fixated on her hands.
Then green light washed over them. Their heads swivelled around to the monitor. The text log had been replaced with a blank background, and two emerald words filled most of it.
Access granted.
The two girls could not speak, perhaps out of shock, perhaps from relief. They stared for the longest time, listening to the shouting and crying and laughter above. Then as though a valve had been released, the words she had been holding in since that first question, the answer she had refused to give, came tumbling out of Lumia¡¯s mouth.
¡°Clementine has a cat,¡± she whispered.
The reality of her situation all came crashing down on Lumia. Her hands sprung to her mouth, hot tears welled in her eyes, and she took a single, sharp, shuddering breath. Slowly she sank back into her chair and let waves of cold regret wash over her.
I¡ªno, that wasn¡¯t supposed to be. All those feelings, all pouring out as though I were a sieve. What caused it? What brought it to fruition? The flowers? The miserable faces? All this stimulation? Or was it all to help this broken mess, my fragile friend, pass a stupid test? Oh, my sister, my devil so sweet, please find it in your heart to forgive me.
Morgan, however, was undeterred. She barged forward and took over the terminal, practically resting on top of Lumia. Through sobs, Lumia tried to apologise. ¡°Morgan, I would never¡ªI didn¡¯t mean¡ª¡±
¡°Stop that,¡± Morgan snapped. When she faced Lumia there was renewed determination in her eyes. She had wiped the blood off her chin leaving a red smear. ¡°It does not matter anymore. Let me take care of things here; you get the students back in their chairs so we can pass this test.¡± She looked up at Lumia, frowning. ¡°And if possible, can you convince that free radical to turn the lights back on?¡±
Lumia wiped her face with her sleeve. ¡°Let me help. I¡ªI can still,¡± she cut off to wipe her nose on her sleeve.
¡°No, you have done enough and you need to be away from here. I do not have the time to be dealing with your problems.¡±
¡°I¡¯m fine. Just let me make up for what I said¡ª¡±
¡°Enough!¡± Morgan bellowed. Standing upright, she grabbed Lumia¡¯s wrist and yanked her out of the chair, almost tearing her arm off with the force. She spun Lumia around and glared up at her, baring teeth. ¡°I was elected to lead this class, so I will take responsibility. Now go!¡±
Despite Morgan being a head shorter than Lumia, she felt large, intimidating, as though she were a feral beast snarling down at Lumia. Oh, how she had misjudged this stuffy and temperamental girl. Oh, how sharp her fangs were.
Sniffling up her tears, Lumia straightened her back, raised her chin, and put on a weak smile. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡±
She gave Morgan one last look up and down, and realised once more that Morgan¡¯s hair clip was still dangling there. Wanting to at least do one good thing for Morgan before departing, she reached for the useless clip, palms up to appear unintimidating. But when she caught sight of Morgan¡¯s sneer, she drew her hands back a touch.
¡°May I?¡± she asked gently.
Morgan frowned at her a moment, then sighed and turned her head sideways. Slowly, conscious of the time, but more conscious of her connection to this tender girl, Lumia brushed down the wilder strands of Morgan¡¯s straight black hair and fastened the clip. Then she spun Morgan so that they both faced the mirror. By the dull light of the monitor, Lumia admired the contradictory thing before her: a mess, wild and unruly, but today, oddly constrained.
Morgan stared at her reflection with pursed lips. She motioned as though she wished to say something, but after a moment of silence she turned and leaned over the device again.
Though she was disheartened by such a cold response, Lumia figured it was best to leave Morgan be. She took a deep breath, exhaled, then strode toward flashing lights coming from the manhole.
¡°One second,¡± Morgan called.
Lumia paused at the ladder. By the light of the screen, she could make out a faint smile on Morgan¡¯s lips.
¡°Thank you.¡± Then Morgan¡¯s face hardened and she returned her full attention to the monitor.
For the first time since this test began, as far as Lumia recalled, her smile was genuine.
But though your fangs may be sharp, they are still the brittle teeth of a cub.
Chapter 11 - A lonely embrace sends the senses awry
Alan
Sitting through a lecture on social etiquette. Reading a history of the invention of soap. Watching another re-enactment of an ancient play. All of these things would have been a million times more preferable than this.
¡°A-Y, two. Question: complex numbers. Hint: trigonometric lookup tables.¡±
Tock rattled off another set of misplaced data and Alan, seated cross-legged against a wall, jotted them down in a diagram he¡¯d thrown together on his meus. This was, what, the fiftieth question they¡¯d had to categorise? And they were no closer to figuring out what was wrong with these choked-up questions.
As it had turned out, their great privilege as administrators was the exciting task of figuring out which hint went to which test question. Admittedly, Alan had thought it sounded fun at the beginning. However, ¡°fun¡± usually implied ¡°variety.¡± As it turned out, every student had one question with the wrong hint or data and the test runners didn¡¯t even have the courtesy to tell them which it was. Luckily, Tock had discovered that these errors were in the first five questions only, which cut their search time down by a factor of four. There were over one hundred students. Therefore, this monotonous task had long since gone from ¡°fun¡± to ¡°please just blast me through an atomic particle collider and get it over with.¡± Oh, and someone decided it would be extra exciting to switch off the lights and make them do everything in the dark. Wonderful. Just wonderful.
He gave his diagram a quick scan, shuffled some of the boxes around, and when nothing jumped out at him, Alan dumped his meus in his lap and stretched his arms up along the wall behind him.
¡°This is pointless,¡± Alan said.
Tock twisted around in her chair. ¡°You got a better idea?¡± She stared at him with those tired eyes people did when they were bored.
¡°Nope.¡± Alan stretched his neck to the side and exhaled when he felt a satisfying pop. ¡°I mean, we can¡¯t sort through the questions one at a time. That would take hours! So I¡¯ve been trying to find a pattern so we can jump through the questions and fix them without reading over everything, but¡¡±
But nothing makes sense, is what he was going to say, but to say that would be to admit his failures. The desk letters don¡¯t correspond with any order, there¡¯s no meaning to the question numbers, and the questions and hints themselves seem completely random. I know there has to be a pattern¡ªwe wouldn¡¯t be given this problem if it couldn¡¯t be solved without having to run it through a neural network or something. But I can¡¯t see the pattern! That¡¯s the one thing I¡¯ve always been good at¡ªno, the thing I¡¯m best at¡ªso today I¡¯m as useless as a photovoltaic cell under Plato.
Despite his complaining, Alan¡¯s eyes still danced over his meus. His attention was shaken when Tock stretched her arms up high and yawned. It wasn¡¯t the stretching that distracted him, of course, but rather the fact that her shirt was clinging to her generous chest, the curves made bolder by the shadows cast by the terminal screen. He shouldn¡¯t be staring. They¡¯d been schoolmates since their primary days and¡ªurgh, what am I even thinking?
Then Tock lowered her arms and slumped onto her chair¡¯s back. She fixed Alan with a deadpan stare. Not wanting to back down, Alan maintained eye contact. She would say something annoying any second now.
She exhaled sharply. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me you got accepted into King¡¯s College?¡±
Not what Alan had expected, but in a way it was worse than a witty jab. ¡°Well, I was going to, but you were being really snippy on the last few days of school. I thought you didn¡¯t want to talk to me so I just left you alone.¡± He scratched at the knot of black hair at the nape of his neck¡ªa nervous tick.
Tock narrowed her large eyes. ¡°You could have, I don¡¯t know, asked what was wrong.¡±
¡°Well some people get angry when you ask them what¡¯s wrong,¡± he replied.
¡°Well then some people don¡¯t deserve to know what¡¯s wrong,¡± she said, frowning at him.
¡°See?¡± Alan cried, throwing his hands up. ¡°This is exactly what I¡¯m talking about.¡±
¡°Seriously, how can you be this stupid? Do you not get other people¡¯s feelings?¡±
That silenced Alan. He actually didn¡¯t get other people¡¯s feelings. Why would he need to? Most of the time people reacted to things in an irrational way. If they just tried thinking their problems through logically they¡¯d realise that maybe there weren¡¯t any problems to begin with. Like with drama amongst colleagues, or anything related to the opposite sex. People weren¡¯t that hard to figure out¡ªthey were just really stupid.
But maybe I should ask, anyway, Alan considered. I still want to know why she was acting so weird, and yelling at her won¡¯t help.
Sighing, Alan slouched forward. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m listening now so tell me what¡¯s wrong.¡± He considered apologising since people¡¯s brains usually turned to mush when you did, but he didn¡¯t feel like it.
Tock scowled at him for a second longer. Then she sighed and her face softened. ¡°So I got accepted into King¡¯s College, which you¡¯ve obviously figured out now. When I got my acceptance form, I knew I had to say goodbye to you, but¡¡± she looked down and picked at the back of her chair. ¡°I couldn¡¯t do it. We¡¯ve been schoolmates since we were, what, six? Just thinking about never seeing you again made me¡ªyou know.¡±
¡°Want to cry?¡±
Her head snapped up and she fixed him with a venomous scowl. ¡°I¡¯m not a baby!¡±
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
¡°I never said you were,¡± Alan cried, throwing his hands up in consternation.
Tock huffed, then peered off to one side. ¡°I should have said something. I was being stupid. So, sorry.¡±
¡°Yeah, same,¡± Alan said, and he actually meant it. He felt genuinely bad about leaving her in the shadow, even if Tock was the one who started it. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have let something like that bother me.¡±
Tock waved a hand dismissively. ¡°Welp, looks like it didn¡¯t matter. I don¡¯t think anyone¡¯s going to get enrolled in King¡¯s College at this rate.¡±
¡°Wait, you know that was a bluff, right?¡±, said Alan, gaping at her.
Tock raised her brows in response.
¡°The Principal never said we needed to pass the test to be accepted,¡± Alan continued. ¡°Like, she implied it, but that¡¯s not the same as saying it.¡±
¡°Then why are they running this test?¡±
Alan shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Probably to figure out which classes to put us in. You know, the people who were losing their electrons out there would probably go into the idiot class, if they have one, and the people who perform best go into Class Euripides. I mean, it¡¯s not much to go off but the notice boards in the hall mentioned Class Euripides a lot, so that¡¯s my guess.¡±
Tock blinked at him, then threw her hands wide. ¡°So what have I been worrying about?¡± she shouted.
¡°Exactly!¡± Alan shouted back. He¡¯d finally got through that thick hair of hers and it was so cathartic. ¡°Why do you think I tried to stop you from running in here?¡±
¡°Because you¡¯re paranoid?¡±
¡°My paranoia was justified. Jus-ti-fied,¡± he emphasised, pointing at Tock with the arm that she had bitten. Unfortunately, he¡¯d waved his hand around too vigorously, causing the cut Tock had given him to open again. A dot of blood pooled on his wrist. When Tock caught sight of it, she turned away.
¡°Well it¡¯s still more productive being in here than out there,¡± Tock said.
Alan sighed. ¡°Maybe, but not at this rate.¡±
The conversation fizzled out and they went back to pouring over the data. Then Tock stopped abruptly. Alan popped his head up to tell her to keep going, but when he met Tock¡¯s eyes he hesitated.
¡°Do you want to get into Class Euripides?¡± Tock asked.
¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Alan rested his head against the wall and stared up at the dead light bulb. ¡°I guess it would be good. Like, it¡¯ll be a challenge. I haven¡¯t found school challenging for a while now. And apparently you get access to King¡¯s College¡¯s archives if you¡¯re in Class Euripides, which would be amazing.¡± He turned back to Tock. Her eyes shone in the darkness, reflecting the dull light of the screens. ¡°What about you? Do you want to be in Class Euripides?¡±
She scoffed. ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t? But someone like me? I¡¯m too stupid to get into Class Euripides.¡±
¡°Nah, you¡¯re the smartest student I know. Well, I think Leo¡¯s a bit smarter since he figured out the admin stuff, and that Lumia girl finished the test fast, and Morgan was answering everyone¡¯s questions back there. But you¡¯re pretty close.¡±
Tock stared off and absentmindedly toyed with a button on her blazer, which she¡¯d draped over the back of her chair. Alan noted her expression, her posture, and the fact that she was so peacefully quiet.
She isn¡¯t snapping back at me. Huh. I wonder if I can replicate whatever it was that made her go so quiet?
It didn¡¯t last, however, because Tock turned to Alan and clapped her hands. ¡°Come on, get back to work. You want to get into Class Euripides, don¡¯t you?¡±
¡°I already told you it¡¯s pointless. If we don¡¯t find a pattern we won¡¯t finish in time. I mean, I think it has something to do with order, but the question numbers are random and the desk letters are weird.¡±
Tock flashed a smug grin. ¡°Then let the fourth smartest student you know take a look.¡±
Alan was about to say fifth, as he was definitely smarter than her, when Tock hopped up from her chair and slid over to Alan¡¯s side. She leaned over him while holding a stray curl out from her eyes. Alan spun his meus around so it was the right way up for her. Her eyes darted over the diagram for a few seconds.
¡°Maybe it¡¯s the Greek alphabet?¡± Tock said.
Alan blinked at her. ¡°The what?¡±
¡°Type two.¡±
Alan spun his meus around and stared lasers into the screen. ¡°That¡¯s stupid! There¡¯s no way it could be something that dumb.¡±
¡°Sure it could.¡± Tock squatted down beside Alan, her shoulder warm against his. ¡°See, they¡¯re probably using standard letters but in the order of the type two alphabet. So Y is probably upsilon and we place it before X, which is chi. Z is zeta so we put that after E for epsilon. The rest just follows the type zero alphabet order.¡±
Frowning, Alan stared at the assortment of letters. In his mind they were already rearranging themselves according to Tock¡¯s suggestion. His fingers seemed to act of their own accord, swiping and tapping and bringing those internal images to life on his screen. When he was done, Alan read over the question-data pairs, and immediately the answer jumped out at him.
¡°It¡¯s the student in front!¡± Alan gasped.
And that was when the stupidity of it all began to dawn on him. He let out a chuckle which gradually turned into a proper, bellow-aching laugh.
¡°Literally,¡± he said between gasps. ¡°They¡ªall they had to do was¡ªwas look over the shoulder¡ªof the person in front of them.¡± Then he lost complete control, rolled onto his side, and cackled maniacally. ¡°They¡¯re¡ªthey¡¯re all going to the idiot class!¡±
Tock, however, was not in a laughing mood. Alert now, she threw herself into the chair. Her hands whirred across the terminal screen, tapping and sliding and rearranging.
¡°Alan, get up,¡± she snapped, urgency in her voice.
¡°Come on, it¡¯s a little funny, isn¡¯t it?¡± Alan said, wiping away his tears. ¡°Literally all they had to do to pass was cheat a little.¡±
¡°You want to get into Class Euripides?¡± she said sternly. ¡°Double check the solution.¡±
Sighing, Alan sobered and picked his meus off the floor.
True. I keep forgetting this is a test. His face split into a grin. A fun test.
Leo
Lights penetrated the dividing glass, on-off, on-off. They were calling him. They wanted the light back. He didn¡¯t care.
Leo had his back against the window¡ªhis back to the rest of the class. He had his meus in one hand. Out of habit, he tapped the device and the screen lit up.
Don¡¯t worry, the Bulwarks are reviewing my case and they think it looks good.
He closed the screen, waited, then opened it again and scrolled down idly.
She¡¯s lying. She¡¯s trying to get me Descended. She always hated me.
I¡¯ll ask Bulwarks to call you in as a character witness. I¡¯m allowed to bring one to my trial. Tell them I¡¯m a good student.
He closed the screen again, then opened it.
Not only did they say I couldn¡¯t choose my witness, they brought in an educator. As in, the one who¡¯s been trying to get me Descended!
They¡¯re all out to get me. I told them it was an accident. They don¡¯t care. They just want me gone.
Leo closed the screen again and screwed his eyes shut. His one reason, the only reason, he would ever set foot in this gilded prison was to learn more about what happened to Milli. But it was over. He¡¯d be expelled before he even began and there was nothing he could do.
The class wasn¡¯t passing. His terminal was locked out. He was trapped in a room where he could do nothing. Nothing!
So they could go without their precious lights for a bit. They could experience just a fraction of the void that had swallowed his heart. Maybe that way they could understand how unjust Plato was. And if they wouldn¡¯t learn, then at least Leo had saved them from a fate as terrible as Milli¡¯s.
Chapter 12 - A staircase to nowhere makes a precarious bed
Morgan
¡°What would I have to do to get another twenty students to pass?¡±
¡°I already explained that you need to make me an offer.¡±
Morgan buried her head in her hands. There had been some developments earlier in her negotiations, but now she was going in circles! The terminal, as it turned out, was being controlled by an Educator, and that it was these Educators who were conducting the test. Furthermore, she had discovered that this terminal was intended for making a trade of sorts with the Educators. The nature of the trade was what eluded Morgan.
Having one of the Educators decide to call her meus and speak voice to voice¡ªon loudspeaker, of course, since her meus remained docked in the desk¡ªhad made the whole ordeal bearable. At least there was a human voice on the other end, and that the educator was what she described as a relaxed individual. Morgan had always preferred speaking to Educators over other students as they tended not to concern themselves with pointless details about her. This particular man was possibly the most patient individual that Morgan had ever met¡ªunlike whoever it was that Lumia was doing combat with earlier.
She let out a long, agonised groan. Think, Morgan. What could you give to the Educators? What is available for trade? No, that is exactly the problem! I am a student, participating in a test set by the very same Educators who I wish to trade with. There is nothing I can give them.
¡°How about this,¡± the Educator said. Morgan¡¯s head shot up and she gave the Educator her full attention. ¡°I will allow everyone to complete their tests by answering only nineteen questions, but I get to fail¡ how about, thirty students. Of my choosing.¡±
Morgan settled back in her chair. ¡°Can they be students that have already passed?¡±
¡°Nobody has passed yet,¡± the Educator stated.
She knew that¡ªit was a slip of the tongue. This Educator had made it abundantly clear to her that a student needed to be unlocked from their desk at the end of the test in order to pass. The test had been dragging on so long that Morgan was beginning to feel fatigued, and these minor slip ups were evidence of that.
¡°Yes, obviously,¡± she replied. ¡°What I meant was, will you be failing students whose meuses have already been released.¡±
¡°Accept the deal and you¡¯ll find out.¡±
Okay, it was a breakthrough, but not in the direction she wanted it to go. She was uncomfortable about guaranteeing failure for some students, but it appeared that failing students was an acceptable form of credit¡ªand the only bargaining chip she was aware of. What other choice did she have?
¡°Can we make a deal that the students you fail are only those who are still locked into their terminals?¡±
¡°We can,¡± the Educator replied with a cautious tone, ¡°but you¡¯ll need to offer more students for failure.¡±
¡°How about thirty-five?¡±
The Educator chuckled. ¡°Try fifty.¡±
¡°Fifty!¡± Morgan cried. ¡°If you fail that many students then you may as well fail the entire class.¡±
¡°Well, that I can¡¯t do.¡±
Morgan hesitated at that, realising it was valuable information. She tucked the thought away for later use. ¡°How about this: can you allow a number of students to skip a question and in exchange you can fail thirty of your choosing? But the skipping has to be verified by me, on this terminal,¡± Morgan added, remembering that this was the only terminal she could use on account of her having broken rule zero by speaking.
She had not meant to talk earlier, and she still had no idea what had come over her. At the time she was certain that the Educators were trying to fail them on purpose. Worse, that this test was some grandiose method of bullying her, along with the rest of the students. In hindsight, it was stupid. Still, she could not believe that Lumia¡¯s answer¡ªif one would call it that¡ªhad succeeded in granting them access to the terminal. She could not believe Lumia had said that!
¡°That depends on the number of students you skip,¡± the Educator replied.
Morgan paused. None of these negotiations would be successful if she helped the incorrect number of students. She needed a minimum.
¡°Can you give me a minute, please?¡± she said.
¡°Don¡¯t take too long. You have nineteen minutes left.¡±
Morgan¡¯s throat tightened as a wave of panic struck her. No, don¡¯t rush this. If you negotiate well then the time will not matter. She took a deep breath, then got up and dashed to the hatch that led up onto the stage. She mounted the ladder and was up in an instant, only to be plunged into deeper darkness.
Her speed had cost her: as she stood, her head spun for a few seconds and she had to stumble away from the manhole for fear of falling in. Once the spinning stopped, however, she was horrified by what she saw.
Absolutely nothing had changed in the entire time she had been under the stage. Students still sat around chatting or otherwise remained idle at their desks. Some had maintained their discipline and continued to answer questions, but most seemed not to care at all. The few who were released used their meuses as torches for their classmates.
What is happening? I specifically asked Morgan to get the lights back on and try to get things under control. What is she doing?
Morgan did not have to look hard to spot her. Lumia was standing below the control room. She was pointing her meus¡¯ torchlight towards the large window and using her hand to cover and release the torch in a rhythmic, blinking pattern.
Does she not know that there is an option for that in her meus¡¯ torchlight settings? Seriously!
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Frustrated, Morgan trotted over to Lumia, ignoring the few students that still raised their hands upon noticing her presence. When she was within earshot of Lumia, she shouted, ¡°Why are the lights not on?¡±
Lumia spun to face her. For a zeptosecond her eyebrows were raised and her mouth hung agape, but then that expression vanished and was replaced with a smile. ¡°Oh, Morgan, I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re here. As you can see, the situation is unclear. Though I¡¯ve been working hard to harness his attention, Leo hasn¡¯t seemed to notice¡ª¡±
¡°I understand so stop talking like that,¡± Morgan cut her off. She held out a hand. ¡°Give me your meus.¡±
Lumia observed Morgan¡¯s hand, then looked at her meus. After a brief yet unnecessarily long hesitation, she finally dropped the device in Morgan¡¯s hand. Working rapidly, Morgan pulled up the torchlight settings and typed a message into an input box: TURN LIGHTS ON. The torchlight started flashing in morse code.
Handing the meus back to Lumia, she said, ¡°Keep trying.¡±
Morgan hesitated when she noticed that Lumia had blood smeared on her chin. Morgan tried not to think about it. Not giving Lumia a chance to speak, or chance to explain why she was covered in blood, she strode off in search of Raphael.
Really, I am disappointed in her¡ªand a little creeped out¡ªbut what else is she meant to do? If the lights are not turned on then regaining control of the class may be impossible. The only alternative is that Raphael puts everyone in their place.
Sighing, Morgan approached Raphael as he was assisting another student in their test. She could not help but feel gratitude towards him, and a little jealousy. People listened to him. What did she have to do to get people to do the same? It was frustrating!
¡°Raphael,¡± she called. He turned and raised an eyebrow. ¡°How many students have passed¡ªI mean, been released?¡±
Raphael paused and scanned the room, taking his time to do so. Morgan¡¯s jaw tightened as she counted the seconds tick by. Finally he gave an answer. ¡°Forty-one, I think. Oh, wait, I¡¯ve failed. So forty.¡± His eyes drew taut and he stared into the distance.
It was not enough, not even close to enough for Morgan to feel comfortable. Though she was still holding out hope that many of the students were simply slow, the amount of chatter throughout the room gave her little confidence. She asked the next question, and dreaded to hear the answer. ¡°Suppose we could remove a question from everyone¡¯s test. How many do you think could be released?¡±
Again Raphael hesitated. His face twisted and he lowered his head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. There are a lot of people struggling, some tests are more difficult than others, a lot of students have talked¡ª¡±
¡°Just give an answer,¡± Morgan snapped. ¡°I don¡¯t care how inaccurate it is.¡±
His dark eyes settled upon her and gleamed in the flashing torchlight. ¡°Maybe ten.¡±
Morgan¡¯s vision blurred a little and she rubbed her eyes. Her heart thumped in her chest. It is nowhere near enough. I need a different approach. Then ruefully she considered, Did the Educator know of this before offering the trade?
She took a deep breath and tried to relax. Whatever the reason, Morgan had to focus on her own response and not worry about the Educators. She thanked Raphael, then sprinted back down the manhole and reclaimed her seat, bathing in the glow that emanated from the terminal¡¯s screen.
¡°Okay, this deal will not work,¡± Morgan puffed, catching her breath. ¡°Is it possible to release ten students instead and fail thirty?¡±
¡°Welcome back, and no.¡±
No embellishment, no explanation. Morgan found that strange given how candid the Educator had been so far. She decided to push him. ¡°How about five releases?¡±
¡°Nope.¡±
¡°Why?¡± she asked cautiously.
¡°How about this,¡± the Educator said. ¡°I can remove rule zero for you so that students won¡¯t fail for speaking. In exchange, I¡¯ll only ask for twenty failures. Good deal, right?¡±
It was an incredible deal. However, the Educator¡¯s omission hadn¡¯t escaped Morgan. He had avoided explaining why he could not release any students, then pivoted to a deal that was, all things considered, way better for Morgan than just releasing five students. She divided those facts up into two separate problems: one, why couldn¡¯t the Educators release students, and two, why would removing rule zero cost less failures than removing a question from everyone¡¯s test? She decided to find their answers individually.
Morgan straightened her back and clasped her hands on top of the desk. ¡°What if I only wanted to release one student? Say, Raphael. We are acquaintances and I would be disappointed if he failed. You can then fail thirty students in return. Would that be acceptable?¡±
¡°Nope.¡± Again, no explanation.
¡°Can you release any students?¡±
Silence. The Educator may as well have screamed the answer.
¡°Then that leads me to a conclusion,¡± Morgan stated, now smiling. ¡°The purpose of this terminal is to change a rule.¡±
There was a brief silence. Then quietly, as though speaking away from a microphone, ¡°Hey, Arthur, give her ten points.¡±
Faintly in the background, a gruff voice answered, ¡°I told you not to reveal the scores to the students.¡±
¡°Sorry, sorry,¡± replied the first Educator, almost laughing.
Morgan¡¯s jaw dropped. Scores? They are scoring us? Are these scores the real pass criteria? If that is so, and we can receive points for guessing about the true nature of the test¡ªat least, that is what I presume the reason is¡ªthen what exactly is this test supposed to grade? Us? Our ability to navigate this test, or to infer information and act accordingly? She drummed her fingers on the top of the desk. There is only one way to find out.
¡°Very well, then I would like to change a rule.¡± Morgan took a deep breath and mentally braced herself for whatever potential fallout would emerge from her next act. ¡°I would like you to remove rule zero, and in exchange, I will fail.¡±
The reply was instant. ¡°Nope.¡±
It all clicked into place. The strange test conditions, the administrators, the hints given to those who finished their questions sooner, the suggestions in the hall about entering Class Euripides. There were the elite, and then there was everyone else. Of course the Educators did not wish for the elite students to fail: they were prospective members of Plato¡¯s most prestigious class. Of course they offered to remove rule zero: one of those elite students was definitely Raphael, given that he had answered more questions than any other student, and removing rule zero meant he could pass. This test was not for accepting students into King¡¯s College, it was how the Educators separated students into classes.
A smile creeped onto Morgan¡¯s face, then stiffened as she tried to contain her excitement.
¡°Allow me to rephrase,¡± Morgan said with a voice shaking with excitement. ¡°I am not asking you to fail me. Rather, I am saying that if you do not change the rules, I will fail myself.¡±
¡°Oh?¡± the Educator replied. Morgan could almost hear the glee in his voice. ¡°Well if you don¡¯t want to pass we can¡¯t force you to.¡±
¡°Not just I, but Raphael will fail too, should nothing change. And in fact, I will ask Lumia to join me in this endeavour.¡±
¡°I doubt she would do that.¡±
¡°You do? After that outburst from before, you would still trust your judgement of her?¡±
The Educator gave no response. Almost there. Just one more push.
¡°Fine. Since you do not wish to accept my offer, I will go back to my original offer: release the students of our choosing.¡± She leaned towards her meus and lowered her voice. ¡°But can you imagine that? A test which nobody passes and all the best students willingly fail. It would be a shame if all of the students¡¯ grades got so muddled. In fact, it would defeat the purpose of conducting this test, would it not?¡±
A long silence. Morgan held her breath, awaiting the answer. She wanted to keep talking but knew that was a terrible idea¡ªone of the many gems she had acquired from her last secondary school was the power of silence. Say nothing, and people can and will assume anything they want.
The Educator finally replied. ¡°Let¡¯s say that last bit is true and I really don¡¯t want you to fail. Even if I wanted to release a few students, we¡¯ve already established that I can¡¯t.¡±
It paid off! Morgan delivered the final blow. ¡°No, you cannot, but there is someone who can.¡±
There was a silence that stretched on for an eternity. Morgan¡¯s heart pounded, from fear, from excitement, from the possibility that this whole nightmare may soon be over. She let out a breath when the Educator finally responded.
¡°Hey, Arthur. Give her another twenty points.¡±
Chapter 13 - Then you hear a whisper
Leo
Open.
I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll pass.
You¡¯re way brighter than me.
I wouldn¡¯t have even tried to get into King¡¯s if I hadn¡¯t met you.
Close.
Open.
Stop worrying about everything!
Next year we¡¯ll be in the same school.
We can make up for lost time.
Close.
Op¡ª
Leo¡¯s hand hovered over the unlock button as a new light, one different from the incessant flashing of morse code from below, lit the back wall. He didn¡¯t want to lift himself off the glass wall, but with that light came the faintest spark of hope. Sluggishly, he pried himself off the glass and crept around to the other side of the desk. When the terminal came into view, his meus slipped from his hand.
You are an administrator.
¡°Don¡¯t tell me,¡± he muttered, scraping his meus off the floor.
Heart racing, blood pumping, he slammed his meus into the dock then scanned the instruction page. One rule was missing: the one regarding the limitation on how many students he could release.
His surprise lasted all of a zeptosecond. His hands moved of their own accord. A student was picked at random and Leo slammed the screen with a finger, hitting the button to release them. A smile crept onto his lips, then laughter escaped him, but it died down quickly. The ten second wait began.
He was anxious. He mumbled to himself, ¡°Come on,¡± and, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you get rid of that stupid lockout?¡± But as he mellowed a new question arose.
¡°What am I doing?¡±
He peered over the desk only to see darkness through the glass wall, broken up by spots of light. Every now and then a bright flash covered the glass and dispersed across it, obscuring his vision in white. Someone was still calling him, and it was time he answered.
He might have come here for Milli, but there was a whole class down there that needed him and the weight of that responsibility was too great to shrug off. Milli needed him too, but she wasn¡¯t here. The class was. Making up his mind, he found his way to the switchboard. One by one, he flicked the switches. One by one, he offered a silent apology to the classmates below.
As the lights in the control room blinked on, Leo made his conviction.
No one deserves to fail. I¡¯ll make sure you don¡¯t.
Morgan
She climbed up into darkness. It should not have been dark¡ªwhat was that cat doing?
Too late to worry. Too late to change things. The rules were set and they had to work with what they had. She hopped off the stage and issued orders.
¡°Go back to your desks. We need to finish the test.¡± No response.
¡°We can do this. We only need a few more people to pass.¡± Laughed at.
¡°If you do not help the others right now, then you will definitely fail.¡± Ignored.
Her brow was damp with sweat. Her throat burned¡ªshe had been talking too much. As students manipulated their mueses, torchlight flashed her eyes and she had to blink spots away.
Someone approached her, someone tall, and she couldn¡¯t make them out in the dark¡ªMorgan¡¯s meus was still in her pocket and she hadn¡¯t thought to use it since the lights should have come back on and it should not have been necessary. They said something to her.
¡°Just wait, I¡¯ll help you shortly,¡± Morgan answered automatically.
They kept speaking. Something about data. The lights were flashing frantically¡ªthey were so annoying! One in particular was bothering her too much, all the way at the back of the theatre. It was Lumia.
Morgan rushed over with abandon. She weaved around the lazing students, tripped on the leg of a chair, caught herself before falling, and finally made it to that annoying light.
¡°Enough,¡± Morgan said.
Lumia spun and white flared through Morgan¡¯s vision. She covered her eyes and let out a groan.
¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Lumia pocketed her meus with the light still flashing.
Morgan blinked to ward off the spots in her vision, then squinted up at Lumia. ¡°What¡¯s happening with the lights?¡± After asking, she realised that it was a stupid question. She was wasting time.
¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t¡ª¡±
¡°Stop apologising,¡± Morgan said, cutting her off.
Lumia¡¯s eyes widened, then she dipped her head silently.
Morgan squeezed her eyes shut. The spots were not fading. ¡°I changed the rules. We need to finish the test.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not sure I follow.¡±
¡°Finish the test. Get everyone back to their desks. If we can at least get ten, no twenty¡ª¡±
Above her there was a sonorous clunk. Glorious white hallowed the room, eliciting cries of wonder and confusion and excitement. Like an idiot, Morgan stared up at the lights, then everything spun. She felt herself stumble, and her vision went dark again.
Tock
¡°Just shut up! I¡¯m going as fast as I can.¡±
Alan slapped a hand down on the desk. ¡°No, you¡¯re going too fast.¡±
¡°Good!¡± Tock howled.
Without pause, she selected another question and tapped the ¡°swap¡± button. A list of randomly sorted tables popped up as options. She scrolled down until she found table E and selected it. ¡°Question!¡± she demanded.
¡°No, you have to go back.¡±
Tock didn¡¯t need Alan to provide the question number, actually. She remembered it. She had given him a test, and he failed. She selected question three and moved on.
Alan thrust a finger at the terminal. ¡°Stop! Stop! You made a mistake.¡±
Tock felt heat rising in her cheeks. She wanted to kick him. He was being so annoying now that he was relegated to question recital, and in his boredom he had been getting chatty. On any other day she would have been happy to talk, but naturally the only time he ever acted like a human was when she really needed him to be a robot. She pointedly ignored him and kept working.
¡°Listen to me,¡± Alan cried, waving his meus about. ¡°I¡¯m trying to help you.¡±
Having enough of his nonsense, Tock whipped around and bared her fangs. ¡°You call this help?¡± She knew her face was bright red by now but was too angry to care about how stupid she looked.
This time it was Alan that ignored her. ¡°Z comes before H, remember?¡±
Tock blinked at him, letting his words seep in. It clicked and she finally realised her blunder. ¡°Shit,¡± she hissed. She pulled up the faulty question.
¡°No, not just there,¡± Alan went on. ¡°You chose the wrong question for I-X. Now every question from I-X upwards is wrong.¡±
¡°Shit shit shit.¡± She cancelled out of the current menu and pulled up desk I-X. ¡°Which question?¡±
Alan made a soothing motion with his hand, the one gripping his meus. ¡°Just. Slow. Down. We have plenty of time, but if you keep making mistakes we¡¯ll never finish.¡±
That last part was true, and this wasn¡¯t Tock¡¯s first mistake. She had bugged up a couple of times right at the beginning before Alan had come up with a formulaic way to sort through the questions. That had caused its own set of arguments. Then she had messed up all of column Z which had taken them almost three minutes to fix. Half of that time was spent arguing. Tock was certain it was because Alan gave the wrong question number, but he insisted she had misheard him. Well, he was wrong then, and he was wrong now.
¡°We have enough time,¡± Tock shouted. ¡°But everyone else still needs to answer the questions. We need to give them as much time as possible, so I have to go fast and you need to stop complaining.¡± She poked him in the chest to emphasise her point.
Alan¡¯s mouth opened, then snapped shut again. He scratched the back of his head. ¡°Alright, go fast, but if I tell you to stop then you have to stop.¡±
Without answering, Tock faced the terminal again. ¡°I-X. Which question?¡±
Lumia
Lumia¡¯s knees buckled. The outrageous girl she carried in her arms was far heavier than she seemed. Aside from the flickering of eyelids, Morgan was deadweight, gone from the world.
This is my first day of school, Lumia lamented. And definitely not the last, not at all.
Sighing, Lumia gave the unconscious girl a shake. ¡°Wake up, jitter head. It isn¡¯t time to go to bed.¡±
To Lumia¡¯s great fortune, Morgan did stir. She blinked slowly, her eyes puffy and squinting out the harsh artificial light.
¡°Welcome back,¡± Lumia trilled. ¡°Do you know where you are?¡±
Groggily, Morgan peered across the room. ¡°Test,¡± she mumbled. She tried to pry herself out of Lumia¡¯s arms but to no avail. In her frustration, Morgan groaned long and low. ¡°How long?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, we still have about fifteen minutes.¡± That was a lie. There were about eleven minutes left, but there was something special in round numbers. If she told Morgan there were less than fifteen minutes remaining, she would have panicked.
Lumia lowered her head. Morgan had done so well. They all had. But this looked like the end of it. If nothing changed, then their failure was guaranteed. Well, Morgan had said something about changing rules, and even if that had provided them with some miracle, well, every cub needs its rest.
That was wishful thinking, however. Morgan continued to stir, fighting against the inevitable. And more awkwardly, Raphael decided now would be the best time to show up and deliver news.
¡°The questions,¡± he huffed, exhausted from trying to put down the most recent wave of unrest. ¡°The data has been fixed. We can answer them. And students are being released as well.¡±
Raphael¡¯s eyes settled on the exhausted girl nestled in Lumia¡¯s embrace. Concern crossed his face. Lumia gave a tranquil smile.
¡°She¡¯s tired, so much so that she fainted. Please leave her be; give her a chance to rest.¡±
Raphael nodded an acknowledgement, though his expression was dire. It was understandable: Morgan had been the cornerstone of their strategy, the lynchpin to their aspirations.
¡°She needs fresh air and water,¡± Raphael said.
He motioned to take Morgan from her, but Lumia shook her head. It was always at the worst of times that inspiration struck Lumia, but here she had her audience, her friends, the only ones whose opinions mattered. She closed her eyes and recited.
¡°Go. The class needs you. We all have our roles to play. So often we see ourselves as lead; it¡¯s hard to tell amongst the fray. We recite all our lines, sometimes more than what we¡¯re given. The audience enthrals, the stage calls, and wearily we¡¯re striven. But the crowd is unforgiving, our hearts and minds so fragile. And when the curtains fall amidst the squall, so must we end our vigil¡ª¡±
She cut her last word short as Morgan¡¯s hand smothered her mouth. The shorter girl looked up at Lumia, snarling like a wild beast.
¡°Stop,¡± Morgan growled. ¡°I get it, I¡¯m tired, but I will deal with it later. Let¡¯s not waste any more time.¡± She regained her balance, lowered her hand, and raised her chin. Standing tall, she fixed her gaze on Raphael. ¡°The questions are fixed? Then get students answering them.¡±
Raphael¡¯s mouth worked and he clearly wanted to put his foot down, but so commanding was Morgan¡¯s aura that he could only nod and comply. He rushed back into the crowd, leaving the two of them alone, with Morgan still partially supported by Lumia.
Morgan peered over to the stage. ¡°I am still a little dizzy. Can you walk with me?¡±
Lumia nodded. She withdrew her hands allowing Morgan to walk on her own. Though Lumia worried for her, she couldn¡¯t help but feel proud of this tenacious little cub.
On shaky legs, Morgan trudged to the stage and Lumia tailed her at a respectful distance. As Morgan climbed the stairs she supported herself using the stage floor, which prompted Lumia to hold out her hands fearing that Morgan would fall. That, however, caught her a sharp glare from Morgan.
¡°Sorry,¡± Lumia whispered.
Once they were upon the stage, Morgan took a spot near the front and centre while Lumia placed herself behind her, tactically positioned so that she was close enough to catch her if she fell yet far enough to not be so present. Morgan took a deep breath and raised her hands, signalling calm to the audience.
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¡°Everyone, please settle,¡± she said. However, her voice was frail and shaky, and the students were too enraptured in their conversations to show even a shred of concern. There were a number of people that Lumia recognised as the assistants¡ªthose helping others answer their questions¡ªwho all gave their immediate attention to Morgan, as did Raphael.
¡°Class, we can pass the test now. The lights are on and I was able to¡ªclass! Please, listen to me.¡±
All the world was coming undone.
Another student was released and began shouting his rapture. Though such an event may have sent ripples through the room earlier, now they elicited but a brief turning of heads and a fleeting moment of relative silence. And Raphael¡ª
No, don¡¯t!
Raphael distant gaze was harsh. His hands were relaxed, but his shoulders were tense. Lumia had seen this before: it was the pose that one attuned to violence would take before a fist was thrown. Oh, he was justified in doing so, but the thought of witnessing more violence after she had worked her whole life to escape it made her stomach turn. She wanted to speak, to beg him into calmness¡ªit was the only tool she had to protect herself, as her body was too frail¡ªbut she hesitated.
Then it was too late.
Raphael
They¡¯re not listening (behaving).
Morgan tried her hardest to be heard over the crowd, but despite having a tone fit for a drill leader, her voice simply was not powerful enough.
A lot of things had bothered Raphael today: the disobedience, the entitled behaviour of those students from more prestigious schools, the arguments. The fighting. So much fighting over a choking test!
Mostly, he hated how his body had just acted on his own. He¡¯d seen an acquaintance (ally) in distress and his body just moved. Before he realised what he was doing, he was threatening a student. He knew he shouldn¡¯t have. They were civilians, after all. But at that time he hadn¡¯t thought of them that way. When they were mocking (hurting) Morgan, they were enemies. He wanted to hurt them back.
He¡¯d acted as he had been taught, and once it was done he regretted everything. Just as he thought that, however, the quiet conversation with Lumia he¡¯d had shortly after meeting her came to mind.
Yes, it¡¯s true that you may regret your past. I¡¯m much the same. But it¡¯s due to those difficult times that I am the person I am today.
A smile etched onto Raphael¡¯s face. No, I don¡¯t regret everything. I¡¯ll never regret helping.
Morgan, Lumia, Leo, Tock, Alan; the dutiful helpers and all the students still desperately struggling against this choking test¡ªit was fine to help them. They¡¯d earned that with their efforts. If that meant he had to be a soldier for ten more minutes, then he would bear that duty (burden).
He flexed his hands, preparing them for work (war). He grabbed the back of the nearest chair, lifted it with one hand, then sprinted over to the wall, trailing the chair behind him. He emerged from the rows of desks and then screaming he hurled the chair with all his might. It smashed against the wall in a terrible clatter then bounced back from the sheer force of impact, landing almost a meter away. When it came to a halt, and the echoing crash and cry died away, the chair lay in a bent heap on the floor.
As expected, everyone had gone dead silent. There was fear and uncertainty in their eyes, the same fear that Raphael had experienced when he was so young when he had been put on the drilling line, adults standing over him, screaming in his face. Training took over.
¡°What the Hell do you savages think you¡¯re doing?¡± he bellowed, marching along the line of desks. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen a more incompetent group of so-called ¡®elite¡¯ students in my life.¡±
He stomped up to a boy in green uniform who Raphael had caught speaking with his schoolmates earlier. The boy¡¯s eyes widened as Raphael towered over him. ¡°You! Where are you?¡±
The boy looked to his schoolmates for reassurance, but they all pretended he didn¡¯t exist. Swallowing, he answered, ¡°King¡¯s College.¡±
¡°What are you doing in King¡¯s College?¡±
¡°Um, taking a test?¡±
¡°Taking a test?¡± Raphael got within a centimeter of his face. ¡°Taking a test! Is this how you take a test?¡±
¡°Er¡ª¡±
¡°Have you taken a test before?¡±
¡°Er¡ª¡±
¡°The answer is yes!¡±
¡°Yes,¡± the boy sputtered.
He tried to reel back, but Raphael pressed down on him so that the boy bent over backwards. Raphael stood a full head above him.
¡°Where should you be?¡±
¡°I¡ªer¡ª¡±
¡°You should be at your desk! Move!¡±
With a whimper the boy darted to his desk. Raphael was about to order the class to follow suit, when he caught a whiff of laughter. His head cranked around and he locked on to a skinny boy with a buzzed head. Yes, that boy: the one who was harassing Morgan.
He knew he needed to stay calm, to approach the situation more tactfully, but this student¡ªthis one student¡ªneeded to be stopped (punished). Now. Before Raphael could get a grip on himself, he was marching over.
That boy¡¯s classmates went silent as Raphael approached. That boy, however, continued to smile. That boy was intentionally ignoring Raphael, treating him like he was beneath him. What made it more infuriating was that that boy was seated atop his desk like it was a throne, with his shirt untucked, and with one foot atop a chair¡ªcompletely disrespectful!
Raphael was being ignored, but he could wait. He would wait as long as he needed to. There were always people like that boy, always acting like everyone else needed to wait for them. So Raphael would wait. But for each second he waited, his hands clenched tighter and tighter.
As that boy¡¯s classmates grew more uncomfortable and stopped responding to that boy¡¯s jokes, finally he sighed and looked up at Raphael.
¡°What?¡± that boy said, giving this look like Raphael was the one in the wrong.
Raphael leaned in. ¡°You have your orders,¡± he spoke slow and low. ¡°Sit down, and shut the fuck up.¡±
That boy grinned at him. ¡°I am sitting down.¡± That got a few chuckles from the students around them.
¡°Last time,¡± Raphael said, his voice quivering. ¡°Sit down.¡±
¡°What are you going to do? You¡¯re a Guardian. You¡¯re not allowed to hit¡ª¡±
Like a bullet, Raphael¡¯s hands struck out and grabbed that boy by the lapels. He kicked his chair out and threw that boy onto it. When he tried to get up, Raphael gripped his scalp, landed a fist in his gut, then using the momentum from his lurch slammed that boy¡¯s head onto his keyboard.
Slowly, the boy sloughed off the desk and collapsed onto the synthetic wooden floor. Blood trickled out from his nose, and Raphael realised now that he¡¯d felt a crack when the boy¡¯s face collided with the keyboard. A broken nose, or worse. He hadn¡¯t meant to do that. This was a student. He wasn¡¯t supposed to dole out punishment to students. That wasn¡¯t a Guardian¡¯s responsibility. So why had he¡ª
The desk¡¯s dock slid open, and Raphael mechanically slapped it out of the dock. It clattered to the floor beside the boy he¡¯d just struck. Raphael stared at the boy, at the product of his actions. He knew what he did was wrong and he hated it (himself), but it was done. He had to keep moving. He exhaled and held his breath on empty for a few seconds, until his mind cleared. His hands relaxed.
Raphael glared over his shoulder and raised his voice. ¡°Back to your seats. Now!¡±
The whole class shuffled and scraped into positions, including his victim¡¯s acquaintances. He could see it in their eyes. They were afraid. That was one of the few quirks about being trained to be a Guardian. As the sole distributors of violence in a peaceful city, people (rightfully) feared you. And therefore, they obeyed.
Morgan
Finally, there was silence. All it took was a broken chair and a broken nose. It frustrated her so much that this was the state of things, that the only proper way to control the class was through violence, but she did not object to it. If violence was what was needed to pass, then Morgan would allow it. After all, there was no reason why so many students, herself included, should be hamstrung because a few selfish individuals could not keep their mouths shut!
Her head was filled with fuzz. Her legs¡ªher whole body, in fact¡ªwould not stop trembling. Every fibre of her being was screaming for rest, for sleep, to be curled up under a blanket in the safety of her room. But a deeper part of her, buried beneath the layers of dead skin and scar tissue, hummed a steady and intoxicating chant: do not fail.
All eyes were on her. She took a deep breath, then laid out her final rushed plan.
¡°Students, I know you have all given up on this test, but I have not given up on you. Though we did not inform you, so as to prevent you from taking matters into your own hands, there are a number of terminals throughout the testing area which grant certain administrator privileges. One of them, you are already familiar with.¡±
She thrust a finger towards the large window overlooking the theatre. Heads turned in witness. ¡°In that control room is one of these terminals, and it is being used by a student of this class. It allows for the release of any student they choose.¡±
Then as though to accentuate her point, a student near the front of the room was released. An excited buzz rose around the room, but was quickly stomped out by Raphael who shouted them into silence. Morgan gave him a thankful nod.
¡°But we cannot unlock everyone because there is a delay between those unlocks. As such, we need a strategy! Students who have not spoken but are released, you can help. Place your meuses back in your docks right now.¡±
¡°Meuses in your docks!¡± Raphael bellowed, stomping between the desks.
¡°You¡¯re to answer the questions of any student who has not spoken yet.¡±
¡°Select their desks,¡± Raphael yelled. ¡°Start from question twenty and work upwards.¡±
¡°Students who have not been released and are struggling with a question, raise your left hand with your fingers spread apart.¡± She thrust her left hand to the skydome to demonstrate.
¡°Stuck on question. Raise your left hand. Fingers open.¡±
¡°And if you are still locked in and have spoken, do not bother answering questions. Raise your right hand in a fist.¡± Morgan lowered her left hand then raised her right, clenching her fist tightly to stop it from shaking.
¡°If you spoke, raise your right hand!¡±
Morgan kept her right fist up. ¡°Do not answer questions for those with their right fist raised. That is a waste of time. And the moment you have finished, help others in whatever way you can.¡±
She paused and scanned over the crowd. Hands were slowly raising. Eyes were on her. She could feel their anxiety¡ªMorgan experienced it herself, perhaps more so than anyone else. It was almost over. They just needed to push a little more. Lowering her gaze, with her fist held firmly above her, she decided to say one last thing, knowing full well that the clock was ticking. It felt right. It was right. It needed to be said.
¡°I do not know if we can all pass, and I know it seems pointless to do something that will never benefit you. In here is a test that is cruel and unjust. But out there¡¡± Morgan looked up and heat rushed into her cheeks. Adrenaline pumping. Adrenaline, the only thing keeping her standing. ¡°Out there is the test for humanity¡¯s very survival. If we fail our greatest test, then there will be no second chances, and no other schools left to take us in. So we push onwards, knowing that there may be no hope.
¡°We will not let uncertain odds deter us. We will not lose hope in the face of extinction. We will fight as long as there is clean air to breathe, and when the air becomes toxic we¡¯ll make our own and fight on¡ªfight on until our engines fail and we fall to Earth. That is what we are. That is what we choose to be. We are Platonians¡ªthe last hope for humanity¡¯s future.
¡°Guardians of humanity, keepers of the future; burn bright, students. Burn so bright that the stars will not forget us.¡±
Her heart exposed, her hopes transmitted, Morgan had only a single objective remaining: a message for the one student whom her words would never reach. She pivoted to the front, facing forwards, offering her back for the world to follow.
But when she turned her eyes locked with Lumia¡¯s. The lively girl had her fist raised just as Morgan¡¯s was, but with none of the same vigour. Her mouth hung slack, and a tear trickled down her cheek. Their gazes met for a few endless seconds before Lumia¡¯s expression hardened. The Prospect wiped her cheeks with the sleeve of her tabula rasa and spun in imitation of Morgan.
That was it: her last order. The room behind her was still deathly silent, as compared to the riot before. She could hear them working, hear them whispering and tapping and typing, but now with purpose. Morgan waited, blood thumping in her head. She waited with that single fist raised¡ªa beacon shining through the clouds of despair¡ªputting all of her hopes in a boy who had already abandoned his own.
A student¡¯s desk unlocked with a snap. Morgan peeked over her shoulder, and saw a girl directly in front of the stage lower her fist, grab her meus, and dash over to the desk beside her. Message received.
¡°Go!¡± Morgan cried.
Lumia nodded and bolted for the stairs. Not wasting time, Morgan took a step towards the crowd and leapt off the stage. She landed hard and her knees buckled, but that pain was the least of what she had felt today. She brushed it aside and kicked off the ground.
The room was electric. The buzz was contagious. Students that completed tests grabbed their meuses and slammed them back into docks in an instant. Those unlocked by Leo snatched their meuses up just as rapidly and sought out anyone still seated. The dedicated few that threw themselves back into their desks typed rapidly, breathing heavy from exertion. And the helpers danced between desks, sweat dripping off their foreheads and painting their jackets in dark pools.
The class was alive. They were alive. Today they would achieve the improbable.
Leo
The ninth second passed. Leo¡¯s hand was poised over the terminal screen. Though he hardly moved, he breathed heavily. His attention was honed and rifled, his arm primed to burst into motion.
The tenth second passed. Leo¡¯s hand shot forward like a bullet and tapped a sequence of buttons. The timeout started anew and he exhaled. Now he waited again.
He raised his head and looked down at the class so he could find the next student to release. The students he selected all held up their fists¡ªthat¡¯s what Morgan had asked Leo to do. He didn¡¯t know why she wanted them released first, and it was irrelevant. He didn¡¯t know how the rules that let him release students had been changed either, and that too was irrelevant. As long as he released as many students as he could¡ªno, as long as nobody failed¡ªhe didn¡¯t care about the details.
Sighing, Leo went to sit down, then remembered that the chair lay in a twisted heap beneath the switchboard. Okay, definitely not his smartest idea. He wanted to move, or shift positions, or do something to break up the monotony, but anxiety bolted his feet to the floor. If he took even a zeptosecond longer to release a student because he was too busy dawdling, he would never forgive himself. Leo might have been trapped in this room, but his imprisonment in front of this desk was of his own choosing.
He peeked over the terminal again for the next desk to unlock, and to his surprise found no more raised fists. He hadn¡¯t even been aware that he¡¯d gone through so many students. But then that meant¡ he checked the time. Two minutes remaining. Hell!
He looked up again. A number of students were at their desks. Some had put themselves there intentionally, though Leo was not sure why. He assumed those students could leave otherwise they wouldn¡¯t have locked themselves in again. He didn¡¯t want to risk unlocking them unnecessarily, but which ones were they?
On his terminal, he flicked through some of the locked-in desks, but there were no features distinguishing the intentional lock-ins from the forced ones. The only details that were given were desk numbers and a circle that indicated whether their meuses were docked or not.
The ten second timeout was coming to a close. Leo clicked his tongue and chose a desk at random. But before he released it, something caught his eye. One of the desks was listed as locked down, but he was certain he had just seen that desk vacant. He checked the theatre and recognised it immediately: that was Raphael¡¯s desk.
¡°You damned cat,¡± Leo sighed. ¡°You almost failed because you¡¯re too nice.¡± Well, aside from knocking out that one student. That kid probably deserved it, though.
He unlocked Raphael¡¯s desk and checked to see if anyone noticed. Fortunately, Lumia happened to be helping a boy a couple desks away. She glanced up at Leo, and for a second he felt as though their eyes had met, an understanding shared between. That was ridiculous, though, because the glass was one way and all Lumia would have seen was a silvery tint. Regardless, Lumia understood what was happening and picked up Raphael¡¯s meus.
Smirking to himself, Leo checked the theatre for the next student to unlock. To his astonishment, Morgan was organising students to raise their fists, delegating work to Leo. It was like they could read his thoughts. Or maybe they were in harmony, in pursuit of a common goal. Not wanting to be outdone, he fixed his attention on his terminal, and waited.
The seconds ticked away. He unlocked one student at a time, one student at a time. By some mystery, the class had managed to blaze through the questions in a few short minutes, and students were rapidly unlocking without Leo¡¯s help. They were cutting it close, though. Really close.
It was in the last thirty seconds that Leo realised a problem: Leo had released a student at just a fraction of a second before the clock ticked over to the thirty second mark. So in thirty seconds, he would have well under a second to unlock a student, unlock himself, and rip his meus from the dock. The easier solution was to choose between himself and a student.
Leo did not make the easy decision.
This wasn¡¯t about the test anymore. It wasn¡¯t even about Milli. No, it went far beyond that in a way that was wholly incomprehensible to Leo. Everyone had to pass, because if they didn¡¯t Leo would never forgive himself.
Everything was at stake, and yet, in the strangest of ways, that everything felt as light as air, like nothing at all.
Morgan
Thirty seconds left. Everyone was scrambling. There was motion everywhere, noise echoing from every direction. Desks were unlocking rapid-fire and with each newly released student the excitement of the class increased. Morgan blocked it all out and focused on this one last question.
The boy seated at the desk stared intensely at the screen. He had no idea how to answer it and in fact had just come out of a five minute lockout. Morgan had considered getting Leo to unlock him, but he was on question twenty and it was a math question. She was good at math. In hindsight, that decision had been made in hubris.
Her answer did not look right. There was no way it was such a round number. But Morgan had no time to check. Either she did nothing and the boy beside her was guaranteed to fail, or she submitted it and he would maybe fail. The nervous boy cupped his hands over his mouth and stared at the screen. One second remaining.
A scream ripped from Morgan¡¯s throat. She slammed the submit button. The screen froze, then turned green. The dock cover snapped open. Her hand shot for the meus and¡ª
A tone sounded from on high, and the students all froze, holding their breath. Long, painful seconds ticked past as they awaited¡ something. Then they heard the crackling of a speaker and a gruff voice boomed over the class.
¡°The test has concluded. The number of students that have failed¡ is zero. Congratulations.¡±
Morgan, panting, gripped the student¡¯s meus between her fingertips. She had managed to pull it only a centimetre from the dock, but that was all that was needed. As relief overwhelmed her and fatigue finally caught up, the room erupted into celebration.
Students leapt out of chairs and danced on the spot, or collapsed onto the floor in relief. One of the acquaintances of the student who Raphael had knocked unconscious offered the giant boy a respectful nod. Lumia had completely deflated and held a trembling hand over her heart, and a student in the uniform of Morgan¡¯s previous school approached Lumia and patted her on the back.
Morgan, however, was completely spent. She stumbled back, hooked a chair leg with her foot, then collapsed into it. She tipped her head back and gazed into the lights.
We did it. Einstein and Newton, we actually did it!
Then a door slammed open and everyone turned towards the stage. Two students came tumbling out and landed in a heap on the floor.
¡°What is wrong with you?¡± Alan said, lifting his head off the floor.
Tock, who had fallen on top of him, used Alan¡¯s head to prop herself up, causing him to cry out as his head collided with the stage.
¡°Did we pass?¡±
Chapter 14 - Listen closely. Shut your eyes. Dont let in the light.
Leo
Sure, the test was over, but as expected there were consequences. Leo wasn¡¯t all that concerned; by not letting a single student fail, he¡¯d had his chance to laugh in the Educators¡¯ faces. He leaned back in his uncomfortable chair, queued against the wall outside of a nondescript meeting room, and rested his hands on his head.
It wasn¡¯t just him, of course. All six of his acquaintances had been summoned via personal message. He wasn¡¯t sure what message was given to the other students, but it was probably better than his ominous, ¡°Your presence is expected at the Ohm Suite.¡± Not demanded or required, just expected. Like the decision to be there was entirely his choice. Honestly, who would say no when the message¡¯s tone suggested that they absolutely should obey?
And now he waited. Bored. In silence. It was insufferable.
¡°So,¡± Leo began. ¡°That went better than expected.¡±
¡°I guess,¡± said Alan from beside him. His blazer was unbuttoned and his shirt had a tear in it which he exposed to the sun. His head was stuck in his meus. ¡°But isn¡¯t it normal for everyone to pass a test? Should be only a couple people that fail.¡±
¡°But that test was really hard!¡± Tock cried. A radical strand of hair dipped in front of her eye and she swiped it away. ¡°If we¡¯d messed up even a little we could have all failed.¡±
¡°The result was¡ pretty good,¡± said Raphael. One of the buttons of his jacket had come off from his fight.
¡°I never doubted any of you,¡± Lumia chimed. Her tabula rasa was tacky and covered in dark patches of sweat. ¡°You all did a wonderful job!¡±
¡°Yeah, and pigs can fly!¡± Tock said.
Lumia turned to Tock. ¡°A what, sorry?¡±
Tock opened her mouth then snapped it shut. She folded her arms and leaned back, making herself small. ¡°Never mind.¡± Leo wouldn¡¯t have bothered explaining either: most species of livestock had gone extinct on the surface. They only lived up here on Plato.
Leo cracked a smile. Honestly, now that they had a chance to just talk, he found his five classmates to be, well, entertaining. A thought occurred to him. ¡°Hey, how did so many people get released at the last minute? Was everyone just slow or what?¡±
Raphael spoke up. ¡°We, er, had a dedicated team of helpers. We found out that you can answer other students¡¯ questions from your own terminal so we spent the whole time doing that. Once we got to the end, a lot of students only had a couple of questions left.¡±
¡°Woah,¡± Leo said. ¡°How many did you guys answer?¡±
¡°Er, maybe two hundred. Between us¡ªnot just me.¡±
¡°Logic!¡± Alan commended.
Lumia gestured to her side. ¡°Also, don¡¯t forget to thank Morgan for changing the rules on your terminal, Leo.¡±
As she spoke, the whine of an open-mouthed snore permeated the air. Morgan lay fast asleep. Her hands rested loosely around her stomach and her head tilted slightly towards Lumia.
Leo leaned forward and gawked. ¡°Hey, what happened to her?¡±
¡°Plenty of things!¡± Lumia said with a smile. ¡°She guided the class through the test, developed multiple strategies for passing, and kept everyone focused, all the while struggling with fatigue.¡±
Though Morgan¡¯s eyes were still closed, her snoring had stopped. Leo was certain she¡¯d heard.
¡°Wow,¡± said Leo. He turned to Raphael. ¡°Hey, you got into a fight. What was that about?¡±
Raphael glanced up at Leo with a haunted expression, then fixed his gaze on the ground. He gave no response.
At that second, the door to the meeting room opened. They all perked up, including Morgan, who straightened up in her chair and looked as though she hadn¡¯t just spent the last twenty minutes dozing.
The Educator glared at them with eyes that needed far more sleep. It was a look that every student recognised, a warning that they should be on their best behaviour or else. Then his gaze settled on Leo and hardened.
¡°You¡¯re first, Leo,¡± he spoke in a gruff voice.
The students turned to him with concerned expressions. Leo shrugged.
Don¡¯t pity me. You¡¯re next.
Leo slouched in his chair, intentionally. A panopticon of Educators surrounded him¡ªokay, it was only three, and they were in front of him. Still, their occasional glances up from their tablets made him feel like his every action was on trial. All the more reason to appear disinterested.
¡°Good test,¡± Leo said, needing to break up the silence. ¡°I liked the part where you nearly failed everyone.¡±
An Educator with bags under his eyes considered him. ¡°Leo, I¡¯ll be frank. I¡¯m rather disappointed with you.¡±
¡°Oh, good to know you once had hopes for me.¡±
The Educator narrowed his eyes. ¡°You ran away from the class without explaining yourself despite being fluent in sign language, you used your twenty unlocks in a nonstrategic manner¡ª¡±
¡°I gave them a message!¡± Leo refuted.
¡°Then you broke open the switchboard and turned all the lights off while screaming, ¡®Eff your test, eff your rules, but most importantly, eff this school!¡¯¡±
Leo shrugged. ¡°I was just using everything at my disposal.¡± What did they expect was going to happen? It was literally the only thing he could do. And the swearing was completely necessary.
¡°The switchboard wasn¡¯t part of the test.¡±
¡°Ah.¡±
¡°You then sat down and played with your personal terminal while your classmates were begging you to turn the lights back on.¡± The Educator carefully placed his terminal flat on the desk. ¡°Do you want to explain your actions?¡±
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Leo thought for a few seconds then pried himself forward. ¡°Hey, Educator, er, coffee pot.¡±
¡°Arthur.¡±
¡°Arthur.¡±
¡°Educator Author.¡±
¡°Yeah,¡± Leo scoffed. ¡°Have you ever been locked in a prison?¡±
Arthur narrowed his eyes. ¡°No, but neither have you.¡±
Leo fixed him with a hard stare. ¡°I¡¯ve seen enough.¡±
Arthur adjusted his position. ¡°Student Leo, I¡¯m going to give you one more chance to explain your actions.¡±
Leo folded his arms. ¡°You have my profile. What did you think was going to happen when you brought me here? That I was going to be a typical, well-behaved student?¡± They locked eyes, both refusing to say anything. The silence lasted a full minute before Leo couldn¡¯t take it anymore.
¡°So when were you planning on throwing me off the Edge?¡±
Arthur fixed his gaze on his terminal. ¡°We weren¡¯t, but I have half a mind to.¡±
Of course you do, you damn Isolationists.
Leo exhaled sharply. ¡°So what¡¯s happening to everyone else?¡±
Raphael
The chair in the centre of the debriefing room remained vacated. Raphael had not been asked to sit, after all. Nor to be at ease. Instead, he stood beside the chair with a fist over his heart.
The Educators eyed him awkwardly, and that made Raphael feel awkward himself. He was becoming painfully aware of how his natural response, to salute before being seated, had been the wrong one. The problem was he had already been standing there for ten seconds, so stopping now would be even more awkward.
¡°Raphael,¡± said the Educator on the right. It was a tall woman with blonde hair tied in a bun, and the saddest eyes Raphael had ever seen. ¡°The purpose of King¡¯s College is to teach and learn. You don¡¯t need to salute the Educators.¡±
Slowly Raphael lowered his hand then placed himself in the chair. He sat straight with his chin up and his face expressionless, though his burning cheeks ruined the image (illusion) of confidence.
¡°Raphael,¡± said the Educator in the middle, the tired looking one. His tone was harsh and inquisitorial.
¡°Yes, Educator?¡± he replied stiffly.
¡°Why did you strike another student?¡±
There was a lump in Raphael¡¯s throat. He didn¡¯t know what to say that would be reasonable yet wouldn¡¯t betray his allies. Though he was expected not to lie to his superiors, there was an unspoken rule amongst trainees at Augustus¡¯ that you were to never rat out another trainee. Eventually he came up with an answer.
¡°He was harassing other students, Educator.¡±
¡°You mean Morgan.¡±
¡°Er, yes, in particular, Educator.¡±
¡°Does that justify your actions?¡±
¡°I¡ªno, Educator.¡±
¡°Are you saying that just to agree with me?¡±
He was. This line of questioning was completely unfamiliar to him. All of these eyes on him, picking apart his reasons like they were trying to get in. They shouldn¡¯t be trying to get in. That wasn¡¯t polite (allowed).
Fortunately, the Educator moved on from that line of questioning before Raphael answered. The next question wasn¡¯t much better.
¡°Student Raphael. During the test, you spent twenty-seven percent of your time at your desk, answering questions. Your classmates required you to assist in other ways. Were you aware of their needs?¡±
¡°No, Educator.¡± He was.
¡°Did you ignore them?¡±
¡°No, Educator. I wasn¡¯t aware, Educator,¡± he lied.
The Educator glared at him with a look that said he knew that Raphael was lying. Raphael swallowed. It was too difficult to look into the Educator¡¯s eyes, so he fixed his sight just above the Educator¡¯s head and let his vision lose focus.
¡°When you placed your meus back in your desk, were you aware of the risks of doing so?¡±
¡°Yes, Educator.¡±
¡°And you did it anyway?¡±
¡°Yes, Educator.¡±
¡°Why not have another student do it?¡±
Raphael licked his lips. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Educator?¡±
¡°Put simply,¡± the Educator looked down at his tablet. ¡°Your role in that test was of higher importance than the other students¡¯. Wouldn¡¯t it have been safer to order a less helpful student to sit down at a desk?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s right to risk another student for my sake, Educator.¡±
The Educator drummed his fingers on the desk. Raphael fixated on it. ¡°Where does the general lead? From the back or the front?¡±
¡°The back, Educator,¡± Raphael said resignedly.
¡°So you should have instructed another student to sit down.¡±
¡°I¡ªI couldn¡¯t. There was no way to communicate that, Educator.¡±
¡°Nobody else knew sign language?¡±
¡°Not as well as I, Educator.¡±
¡°Not enough to be instructed to sit?¡±
Raphael said nothing. Though he hadn¡¯t thought of the idea, Raphael would never have made that decision to begin with, so he still felt guilty. At the time, he¡¯d taken a seat to escape the drama. The arguing and heavy expectations of his peers had been overwhelming, and he wanted only to zone it out (go away).
¡°Student Raphael,¡± the Educator said more casually, though his tone implied that no nonsense would be tolerated. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s acceptable to lie?¡±
Raphael fixed him with a rigid stare. This question he was confident in answering. ¡°I do, Educator. It¡¯s acceptable to lie when protecting someone else.¡± And that was the cause of his guilt.
Lumia
Lumia was rather accustomed to being observed. When she had taken her final Ascension tests, there were eight people monitoring her for cheating, and before she arrived in Plato people always stared at her. Their reasons were not always benevolent, however. Lecherous, would be the word she¡¯d use.
¡°Student Lumia,¡± spoke Educator Arthur in that grizzled tone of his.
Lumia perked up. ¡°Mhm?¡±
¡°What did you see on your terminal after you finished the test?¡±
¡°Oh, I believe there was a message.¡± She caught her tongue before she recited it. Judging from Educator Arthur¡¯s tone and the current trajectory of the conversation, Lumia figured she was about to be admonished. It was best to play the fool. ¡°But unfortunately, I cannot remember what it said.¡±
The other Educators all shared a baffled look. Lumia wore a similar expression, hoping it would throw them off.
Educator Arthur turned to her. ¡°Student Lumia, your Ascension tests showed that you have a remarkable memory, almost rivalling that of some of Plato¡¯s best AIs. In this test, we planted several clues that we believed would be easily memorable for you. Are you suggesting that our previous assessments of your mental faculties, along with your own testimonies, are somehow wrong?¡±
Of course not! She remembered every word of that message: The signal that oscillates faster than the rest can transmit more often but is heard once at best. It was a lovely poem! The only problem was that, at the time, she had thought it to be some kind of reward: a King¡¯s College gift for those who finished so soon. Lumia realised her mistake now, one she had made in ignorance. However, it was too late to admit fault. She doubled down on the lie.
¡°Oh, not at all! Today is simply quite unique. I¡¯m a little too fatigued so my mind, it tends to leak. It¡¯s easy to forget a message that is so oblique.¡±
All the Educators gazed at her in astonishment. One of the Educators, a man who was rather dashing, in a lazy sort of way, edged towards Arthur. He whispered, ¡°Hey, does she always talk like that?¡± Lumia¡¯s cheeks reddened.
¡°According to her file, usually when she¡¯s nervous,¡± Educator Arthur answered. ¡°Or when she¡¯s lying.¡±
Lumia¡¯s whole body tensed up. Her hands were clasped and he squeezed them tightly as she could to stop them from trembling. Idiot, idiot, idiot! Why did you have to lie? Why did you think you could fool them? This isn¡¯t Glassfall, it¡¯s Plato, and everyone here is smarter than you!
¡°There was another issue with your behaviour during the test,¡± Educator Arthur continued. ¡°For most of the test you were indolent. You either watched from the side or you interacted with other students while doing nothing of value. In the time you spent idling, don¡¯t you think you could have helped answer questions?¡±
Lumia stared into her lap. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡±
Well, she wasn¡¯t, really. The greatest problem they faced in the test was disobedience. It was necessary to curtail the behaviour of certain students because every time Lumia looked away, they would talk again. Then when other students saw their peers speaking, they would follow suit thinking that it was okay. It just so happened that punching a student was the most effective way to silence the rest of them, thereby rendering all of her methods moot. If only Raphael had done that sooner!
¡°Do you want to explain?¡± said Educator Arthur.
Lumia bit her lip. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to overstep my place.¡±
And actually, that was the truth. She was a stranger in a strange place. If she had done too much she would have come off as overbearing. It was better to stay in her frame and only act when asked to. Her decision to passively encourage other students from behind was based almost entirely upon this truth. Almost.
Educator Arthur went on. ¡°And because of that decision, you were unable to perform at your maximum capacity.¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry, Educator Arthur.¡±
¡°Student Lumia.¡± He fixed her with a hard stare. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about your sister.¡±
Lumia wished that the room had been painted white, so that way she might have camouflaged herself against the wall, pale as she had gone.
Chapter 15 - Within every whisper is an echo of truth
Alan
¡°Student Alan, there were a number of problems with your performance,¡± said Arthur.
Alan¡¯s nose scrunched up. ¡°Like?¡±
He was already bored of this interview. It took Alan all of five seconds to figure out that the Educators were trying to pick apart their actions during the test. Like, he understood it; they thought they were teaching the students something, but, like, context? What did they expect everyone to do when they were thrown into such a choked up situation without an engine to keep them afloat? Not go savage? Alan was certain his performance had been fine, though, so he was pretty relaxed about the whole thing.
Arthur stared at him with baggy eyes. ¡°Firstly, during the Principal¡¯s introduction video, you accessed the map that showed the locations of the administrator terminals.¡±
¡°Uh huh.¡± A neat discovery.
¡°There was a person standing next to you who saw it also, correct?¡±
¡°Yep.¡± Lumia. He remembered letting her watch the broadcast on his meus, which he had thought strange at the time. It turned out she had no idea how to use a meus, or any terminal for that matter. How¡¯d she even pass the test?
¡°And you didn¡¯t bother to consult with her about it.¡±
¡°I mean, no? Why?¡±
¡°She has an exceptional memory.¡±
¡°Ah.¡±
¡°Once you were in the test,¡± Arthur said, ¡°you spent the bulk of your time playing with your meus. You could have used that time more productively.¡±
Alan slouched forward, feeling genuinely ashamed. Tock had blasted him well enough for it and it was deserved. She was a broken clock: once in a while she¡¯d be right about something. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m aware of that one,¡± he said.
¡°Then,¡± Arthur continued.
Wow, can you stop? Alan thought. Like, what about all the things I figured out during the test? You going to bring those up?
¡°You continuously argued with your classmates, effectively dragging others down with you.¡±
¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Alan said dismissively.
¡°You kept trying to do everything on your own. If you hadn¡¯t been dragged away from the class, you would have achieved nothing.¡±
Okay, that was a neutron too many! ¡°Well if I hadn¡¯t been there everyone would have failed the test,¡± Alan cried, throwing his hands up. ¡°I got Leo¡¯s message before it was garbled. I figured out the bad data riddle. I¡ª¡±
¡°You could have done all of that as well as helped your classmates,¡± Arthur interrupted.
Alan stared at him incredulously, trying to think of something witty to say to get Arthur back, but he knew the Educator was right. He turned to the side and exhaled sharply through his teeth.
¡°Are there any questions?¡± said Arthur sternly.
¡°Yeah, actually, a bunch.¡± Now that he was in his goldilocks zone, Alan straightened a little. He¡¯d already forgotten that the Educators had berated him. ¡°First up, where were the other admin terminals?¡±
Arthur shared a look with the woman next to him, who shrugged. What¡¯s that about?
¡°There were three administrator terminals that you missed,¡± the woman answered. She had a nice face and Alan stared at her a little excessively. ¡°One was located in the Great Hall. If you had accessed it, it would have shown you the locations of the other terminals.¡±
Seriously?
¡°The second was in the service hall located on the side of the theatre. It allowed you to unlock the doors of the rooms with administrator terminals.¡±
And nobody found it? I swear, I¡¯m ripping into Morgan and Raphael when I get out of here.
¡°The third allowed you to communicate with any other terminal through text. It belonged to the student who completed their test first. In this case, Lumia.¡±
Alan¡¯s jaw dropped open. Of course! The one person in Plato who¡¯s tech illiterate. Oh, she¡¯s going to hear about that!
¡°Any more questions?¡± said Arthur. His tone was even harsher this time.
Alan frowned. ¡°Yeah, a bunch, but I¡¯ll save them for another time.¡± He¡¯d got enough answers. Now he just wanted to get out of here.
¡°It¡¯ll have to wait for class.¡±
¡°Oh, okay.¡± So why ask then?
Tock
The chair was just a little bit too short for Tock and her feet barely scraped the ground. So naturally she swung her legs. No matter the circumstances, swinging your legs was mandatory if the seating allowed for it. Also, it was great for relieving stress.
¡°Student Tock,¡± growled Educator Arthur. That¡¯s how she thought of his voice: growling.
¡°Yes!¡± Tock perked up.
¡°Stop swinging your legs.¡±
Tock dipped her toes and her feet came to a skidding halt. ¡°Sorry,¡± she grovelled. This was not a good start. She prepared to hear her sins recited back to her, and she knew before even hearing them that she deserved whatever judgement she received.
Educator Arthur drilled lasers into her. ¡°During the test, you decided to speak. In doing so, you started a trend which caused a number of students to be locked into their test terminals. Are you aware that the entire test could have been failed because of your actions?¡±
Tock stared at her shoes. ¡°I am.¡±
¡°Furthermore, your decision to walk into the administrator room was reckless. Were you aware that the rooms locked when someone entered?¡±
¡°I was.¡±
¡°And if you hadn¡¯t dragged another student with you, you would not have been able to complete the task given to you.¡±
¡°I know.¡±
¡°You were completely dependent upon your classmates. If not for them, your contribution to the overall test would have been less than zero.¡±
Tock remained silent. Every statement struck her heart like a hammer blow, and it was all she deserved.
¡°Is there anything you want to tell us?¡± Educator Arthur insinuated.
Tock began kicking her legs again, then forced herself to stop. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she mumbled. ¡°I¡¯m not that smart and I do a lot of weird things. I didn¡¯t mean to almost make everyone fail.¡±
The Educators exchanged glances. Then Arthur said dismissively, ¡°We¡¯re not the ones you should apologise to.¡±
A long silence passed as Educator Arthur flicked through his terminal. During that period Tock went over and over her mistakes, beating herself up a little more with each recollection.
Then Educator Arthur queried, ¡°Do you have any questions?¡±
¡°Um, yeah,¡± Tock piped up, raising her hand automatically then lowering it again. As terrible as she felt, she really needed to settle this dispute. ¡°Everyone was speculating on what the purpose of the test was. Can you tell me or is that not allowed?¡±
Arthur and the woman beside him exchanged looks once more. The woman was super pretty, with melancholy blue eyes that gave her a very refined and mature look. There was a lot of tension between the two of them. Tock¡¯s heart fluttered at the sight and her imagination ran wild.
Oh, they¡¯re totally married. Or maybe they¡¯re secretly together behind their assigned spouses¡¯ backs and are just waiting for the day they can reveal it to the world!
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¡°It¡¯s not a secret,¡± hummed the pretty woman. ¡°The purpose of the test is to determine aptitudes, gather behavioural data, and, using those, to determine which classes we should place the students in.¡±
¡°Huh.¡± Then Alan was right. Guess I¡¯ll apologise to his stupid face when I get the chance.
Educator Arthur¡¯s tone hardened. ¡°That will be¡ª¡±
¡°One more thing!¡± Tock shouted, raising her hand. This question gnawed her too much for her to wait. ¡°Is it true that students get expelled if they do badly on this test?¡±
¡°That¡¯s not¡ª¡± Arthur began.
¡°Yes,¡± the pretty woman answered. Arthur shot her a cold stare. She shrugged. ¡°The test also allows us to determine if a student¡¯s aptitudes are not acceptable for this school. As nobody has been officially enrolled yet, we have the capacity to reject their application until the end of the day.¡±
¡°Did we¡ª¡±
¡°The test revealed that nineteen students did not meet the standards of King¡¯s College.¡±
¡°Oh.¡±
The woman¡¯s gaze hardened and Tock felt a chill run down her spine. ¡°Three of which were recommended for Descension.¡±
Tock¡¯s heart felt like it had stopped. All those students may have wanted to be here just as much as her. They would have loved Plato, loved the bees and loved the scent of pollen in the artificial Springtime. And Tock may have just trampled over all of their hopes and dreams to secure a place in Plato¡¯s most prestigious school.
She may have been the reason the five students sitting outside the meeting room would never make it to King¡¯s College.
¡°Oh.¡±
Morgan
Two words described Morgan¡¯s current mood: fatigue and foreboding. After the test was over, lethargy had crushed her and she had nearly passed out there in the theatre. It was only by the motivation of her five colleagues that she had gathered the stamina to walk the many corridors to this meeting room.
As for foreboding, there were a couple of reasons she felt this way. First, everyone who left the meeting room appeared much more haggard than how they looked going in¡ªand they all looked completely worn beforehand! Second, there were three Educators, and all their attention was on her. Morgan knew she looked a mess, but with so little time between their summoning and the end of the test, she had no opportunity to correct her appearance, nor the will to drag herself before a mirror.
¡°Student Morgan,¡± said the Educator who had introduced himself as Arthur. Morgan had inquired upon the origins of his name, as was her habit, and he had answered with silence. That was very unsettling. She knew that Educators only behaved this way when they were disciplining someone.
Morgan swallowed. ¡°Yes, Educator?¡±
¡°For most of the test, you spent your time ordering students to answer questions. When some of those students came to you to report problems, you ignored them. Were you aware of this?¡±
¡°Yes, Educator.¡±
¡°Were you aware that many of the students that had become non-compliant did so because they were frustrated by your authority?¡±
Morgan frowned. ¡°No, Educator, I was not.¡±
¡°Were you aware that some students saw your group as being more privileged, causing them to doubt your plans?¡±
¡°No, Educator.¡± She never would have even considered the possibility had Educator Arthur not told her so.
¡°Were you aware that your ¡®helper¡¯ regime was futile because many of the questions were not answerable?¡±
Ashamed, Morgan lowered her head. The implications of that mistake had not struck her until now. She had not had the time to process every little mistake. By reciting them all to her now, when all Morgan could think of was sleep, it felt like Plato was falling down on her. What Morgan had done was push people for reasons that were entirely selfish and wrong.
¡°I realised too late, Educator.¡±
¡°Student Morgan.¡±
¡°Yes, Educator?¡± Morgan¡¯s eyes made contact with the Educator¡¯s.
¡°During your negotiations, you assumed that your value within those negotiations was of high priority, so much so that you used your own failure as a means to extort a rule change. Is that correct?¡±
Morgan felt her tactics had been a little underhanded, but it had worked. ¡°Yes, Educator.¡±
¡°Are you aware that was not the reason we accepted your ultimatum?¡±
She frowned. ¡°It was not, Educator?¡±
¡°No.¡± Educator Arthur¡¯s gaze darkened, and Morgan tensed up. ¡°Our purpose was to ensure that students understood the importance of failure.¡±
¡°I do not understand,¡± Morgan said, thrusting forward in her chair. ¡°If my ultimatum was unacceptable, then why was it accepted?¡±
Educator Arthur shot a look at another Educator who was lounging back in his chair with a steaming mug in his hand. Earlier, this Educator had introduced himself as Educator Bentham. From his voice, Morgan had recognised him as the Educator whom she had negotiated with during the test.
¡°Because I didn¡¯t want to call you bluff,¡± said Educator Bentham, the corner of his lip turning up.
The full implication struck Morgan like a bullet. It was luck. They passed because of dumb luck.
Her expression aghast, she collapsed back into her chair. Morgan replied meekly, ¡°I understand, Educator.¡±
¡°The reason I am pointing out these errors, while ignoring your successes, is because any one of these errors could have resulted in the whole class failing. Do you understand?¡±
¡°Yes, Educator.¡±
¡°You may think that you performed well, but your test result was hanging off the Edge.¡±
¡°Yes, Educator.¡±
The rest of the conversation went by in a blur of, ¡°Yes, Educators,¡± and, ¡°No, Educators.¡± It was difficult to think. It was difficult to breathe. It was difficult to be here. And if the Educators decided that Morgan did not deserve a place at King¡¯s College, she would have accepted their decision without protest.
Leo
It was quiet outside the conference room, save for the occasional sob coming from Tock. The news about the three students being descended had hit them all hard, but Tock felt it most strongly. For his own part, Leo felt vindicated, and that angered him because he was so choking bitter about the whole thing. No school should have the right to decide a person¡¯s fate. A few mistakes, a couple of asshole teachers, and your life was no longer yours.
There was also another issue plaguing everyone¡¯s thoughts.
¡°You¡¯re all idiots,¡± said Alan. He was slouching forward so violently that his head looked like it would fall off his shoulders. ¡°You missed all the terminals.¡±
¡°Go throw yourself off the Edge,¡± Leo snapped back. He didn¡¯t bother looking at Alan, choosing to remain with his head tipped back and staring directly up into the downlights. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you unlock my door?¡±
Alan scowled at him. ¡°Didn¡¯t think I needed to since you like to break everything. You could have just kicked it down.¡±
From near the other end of their row of seats, Raphael was staring into the distance. He muttered, ¡°We¡¯re all getting expelled. We¡¯re all getting expelled.¡±
¡°Oh, sure,¡± Leo responded to Alan. ¡°Let me miraculously add another five hundred Newtons to my front kick in the middle of a test. Totally reasonable.¡±
¡°No problem! Just take it from your ego; there¡¯s enough mass up there to bring Plato down.¡±
¡°Everyone, please stop,¡± Lumia begged. Her face was strained from exhaustion, making her look ten years older. ¡°There¡¯s no reason to blame each other when we are equally at fault.¡±
¡°That is wrong.¡±
All five heads turned to Morgan. The black-haired girl leaned over her knees, her arms were wrapped around her stomach, and her fingers dug into her sides.
¡°No, Morgan, everyone made mistakes,¡± Lumia began, but there was no conviction in her words.
¡°You¡¯re wrong. I¡±¡ªshe took a deep, shuddering breath. ¡°I was the leader. I asked for that role. It was my responsibility.¡±
Lumia placed a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Morgan, you can¡¯t take all the blame for¡ª¡±
¡°Shut up!¡± Morgan screeched, and Lumia flinched back placing a hand over her heart. ¡°I didn¡¯t listen. I ignored everyone¡¯s pleas and made them do useless things. I¡ª¡±
Morgan¡¯s bowl of hair covered her features, but from that veil tears dripped onto the tiled floor. Leo¡¯s heart fell. She did not deserve this pain. Nobody did. It wasn¡¯t their fault they were being shoved around like this.
¡°If anyone deserves to be expelled from this school,¡± Morgan whimpered, ¡°it should be me.¡±
Her nails dug further into her blazer, the cloth twisting around her fingers. Leo gritted his teeth. She¡¯s hurting herself. She shouldn¡¯t be hurting herself. Not over this choking school.
Leo stepped over to Morgan and stood over her. Tears dripped onto his shoes. His hands struck out and grabbed Morgan¡¯s wrists, then ripped them away from her stomach.
¡°Let go!¡± Morgan shrieked.
She was tense yet trembling, and it took everything Leo had to keep Morgan from tearing her hands from his grasp.
¡°Listen to me,¡± Leo bellowed. Morgan¡¯s squirming faltered. ¡°You do not deserve to fail. Nobody does. But if you do fail, it¡¯s not your fault. If another student fails, it¡¯s not your fault. If everyone fails, it¡¯s not yours or anyone else¡¯s fault. Do you know why?¡±
Leo edged closer and lowered his voice an octave. ¡°Because this test was designed to make students fail. How can you think you¡¯re to blame when you behaved exactly as you were expected to? They wanted to see us at our worst, and they got it.¡±
Morgan¡¯s pull weakened. Leo could feel her trembling silently in his grip. He softened his tone.
¡°Besides, the six of us passed the entire class on our own. If you think that makes you a failure then¡ªI don¡¯t know how to tell you this, but¡ªyou probably think there is no such thing as passing. And that¡¯s a choking lie.¡±
Slowly, one struggling second at a time, Morgan¡¯s hands relaxed. Leo let them drop and they fell limp at her side.
Morgan gave a sharp sniff. ¡°But I¡ª¡±
¡°Do you want to know why I really broke the switchboard?¡± Leo interrupted.
The students all turned to him, including Morgan who looked up at him with bleary eyes and a tear pooling at the end of her nose.
A grin split Leo¡¯s face. ¡°Because I was angry.¡±
There were a few seconds of stunned silence. Then Raphael blurted out, ¡°But wasn¡¯t there a clue?¡±
¡°Nope.¡±
¡°But it was part of the test!¡± Alan cried.
¡°Nope. Arthur said so. I was just angry.¡± He flashed each of them with a smile. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t have found the terminal under the stage if I hadn¡¯t broken the switchboard. But I broke it because I wanted to. In other words, we passed the test because I felt like breaking stuff.¡±
They all wore the same incredulous expression. Then someone giggled. They all saw Tock wiping away her tears, wearing a crooked smile. Lumia was the next to laugh, light and trilling. Raphael muttered a, ¡°You¡¯re irrational,¡± before he too began chuckling.
Then like a valve bursting, they all broke down into tears. Leo rolled on the floor and smacked the ground. Alan pointed at Leo and blew a raspberry. Tock tipped her head back and kicked her legs. Even Morgan was beaming and her shoulders were shaking with mirth. It went on for so long that they forgot what was so funny in the first place and kept laughing for the sake of laughing.
¡°I guess,¡± Morgan said, wiping away a tear. ¡°I guess we should thank the bots for being so incompetent at construction. Otherwise we would not have seen that crack in the floor.¡±
¡°Right?¡± said Leo. ¡°This place is a dump. I mean, even if they expel us, who cares? This place is run by savages.¡±
¡°Students.¡±
They all froze, half on the floor, half red in the face. Standing beside the doorway was Arthur, and he did not look impressed. Leo had to stifle a vicious grin. Good. Look how happy we are. Now you know you can¡¯t make us fall.
Once the students collected themselves, Arthur exhaled slowly through his nose. ¡°Our assessment is complete and we have made our judgement.¡±
His scowl deepening as his gaze passed over each student, until it settled on Leo and transformed into outright contempt. This time Leo didn¡¯t suppress his grin.
¡°Against my better judgement,¡± Arthur continued, ¡°we have decided to place you in Class Euripides. Burn bright, students. And don¡¯t break anything.¡±
The classmates all turned to each other in a mixture of astonishment and confusion. Of all the nightmarish scenarios their imaginations had conjured, this was too wild even for them.
Chapter 16 - Follow my voice, I鈥檓 waiting at the fall
Lumia
The elevator dinged open and Class Euripides alighted into the precariously narrow hallway. Except for Lumia, whose feet would not become unstuck from the floor no matter how much she willed them to.
Tock burst from the elevator ahead of everyone else, her hands raised to the clouds in excitement. ¡°I¡¯m in Class Euripides!¡± she shouted.
¡°We haven¡¯t even got our uniforms yet,¡± Alan grumbled as he followed behind. He slouched and acted coy, but his rushed pace betrayed his excitement. ¡°Or lunch,¡± he added.
¡°I was told there would be catering,¡± Raphael said softly. Lumia noticed there were bags under his eyes.
¡°Everyone, please be calm,¡± Morgan said, though there was little vigour in her voice. ¡°We ought to spend the night relaxing so that we are better prepared for our first day of school.¡±
Leo raised an eyebrow and joined Morgan¡¯s side. ¡°You¡¯re lecturing us about relaxation? I think you¡¯re the one who needs it most; you almost lost your mind after the Educators lectured you.¡± There was no bite in his words.
Morgan sighed. ¡°About that. Please do not tell anyone else what happened back there.¡±
A door slid open out of Lumia¡¯s sight, identifiable only by the rumble of wheels on their tracks, and her friends¡¯ voices grew muffled as it shut behind them. Lumia was alone. And stuck in an elevator. An elevator which had rocked and rumbled its way up to their too-tall sleeping quarters, all the way to the top floor. Lumia wanted to leave this rickety death trap, but she also wanted to not leave.
She had situated herself at the very back of the elevator, nestled into the safety of a corner, so as to avoid being seen shivering. More fortuitously, her robe folded over itself around her legs which had helped to hide her trembling legs. Lumia didn¡¯t wish to share her worries.
It¡¯s okay. The building is sturdy. It¡¯s only the elevator which shakes so unsteadily. Once you set foot in the building it will surely be okay¡ªoh, right, tall buildings are designed to rock and sway! Their joints are rather fragile and need all the help they can get, so some engineers decided that they¡¯ll let the walls stretch. Oh, wonderful. What fun! That means they still can fall! And I¡¯d like to never see a falling tower again at all. Towers fall so often in my city, and we must always prep. Lived, used to, past tense! Oh, I¡¯m being silly. I just need to take a step.
As she raised a trembling foot off the floor, that ominous ding sounded once more. Lumia glanced up and her heart lurched from her chest as the door began to slide closed. In a panic, Lumia sought for any kind of control mechanism, but the elevator was nothing more than three flat walls and a door. She¡¯d seen Morgan activate it using her device, but she had no idea how to do that! That left her with one option: jump.
She took a deep breath, then an image flashed through her mind of being stuck in the door. And the elevator moving down with a ding.
Lumia couldn¡¯t move forward or else she might die, and she couldn¡¯t stay where she was because she would be stuck in the elevator forever¡ªa fate as bad as dying! The doors were about to close and Lumia was moments from having to explain to her classmates why she was unable to do something as simple as take three steps, when a hand slipped into the gap. The doors reopened obediently, and greeting Lumia was Leo, arching his eyebrows.
¡°Are you okay?¡±
Lumia grinned at him. ¡°Just fine.¡±
Her foot was still in the air and Leo glanced down at it. Lumia slapped it onto the floor, causing the elevator to wobble a little.
¡°You know how high up you are, right?¡± Leo said, smirking. ¡°I mean, Plato.¡±
¡°Approximately fourteen point two kilometres, inside the tropopause,¡± Lumia provided hurriedly. ¡°Which is fourteen thousand two hundred metres, or seven thousand nine hundred and fifty times my own height, or thirty-five times the height needed to reach terminal velocity¡ªprobably more given the lack of air friction at this altitude.¡± She paused, and realising she¡¯d said something completely insane, Lumia tried to deflect by adding, ¡°Fun fact: the tropopause¡¯s average height has increased by thirty-five percent since 1900 CE.¡± That is not a fun fact at all!
Leo blinked, and his gaze settled on Lumia¡¯s hand which was still propping her against a wall. ¡°Don¡¯t worry if you feel any swaying. It¡¯s supposed to make the building stronger.¡±
Lumia barely managed a smile. ¡°Ah, thank you for your kind words.¡± This is not helping!
The door threatened to close again, and Leo casually placed a hand between the sliding halves to make it open again. ¡°Other people need to use the elevator.¡±
¡°Of course,¡± Lumia chimed.
It was guilt that caused her to take her first step. If it irked Lumia having inconvenienced Leo, it really irked her having stalled one of two elevators that provided students access to their rooms. With three tremulous steps she found herself on surprising sturdy ground. Her fears vanished instantly and she felt a complete fool!
Leo waited for her as she crossed the hall to stand before an opaque glass door. Hanging best it was a sign that read, Familia Euripides.
Seeing the sign, Lumia paused and let it sink in. This is my home now. My home, ¡®til the day I die.
Nervous, Lumia straightened her back and smoothed out her robes. Perhaps sensing her trepidation, or perhaps wrapped in his own thoughts, Leo rested with his back against a wall and bowed his head.
¡°It¡¯s terrible moving to a new school,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s not like you can just go to a different place and live in your own familia, you have to move into the school. It¡¯s especially bad if you¡¯re brighter than most of the kids your age, or you outperform their expectations. They keep shuffling you around until they find a place for you. But when you move that often, you never feel like you¡¯ve settled. Everything¡¯s temporary and you can¡¯t bring yourself to care.¡±
He took a deep breath, and when he raised his head he was beaming. He was wearing the same smile that Lumia had practiced every day for years in the mirror. That made her heart feel heavy.
¡°But, hey, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine,¡± Leo dismissed. ¡°This school¡¯s probably going to boot us out before we even learn each others¡¯ names.¡±
¡°Lumia.¡± The blue-eyed girl offered Leo a nod.
Leo¡¯s smile slipped for a moment, then he huffed and shook his head. ¡°I already knew.¡±
They stood for a moment in silence, with Lumia standing awkwardly facing the translucent door. Leo slipped his device from his pocket and waved it at Lumia.
¡°This is a meus. It never leaves your side. Ever. You can¡¯t even breathe on Plato without one of these.¡±
He pressed his device¡ªhis meus, Lumia instructed herself¡ªagainst a smooth panel next to the door. A glowing ring on the panel¡¯s centre went from red to vibrant green, and the door slid open.
A terrible thought struck Lumia. ¡°But what if I forget it?¡± she asked the boy with different coloured eyes.
¡°Would you forget your head?¡± he said with a smirk. Leo chuckled at his own joke then walked through the door.
Oh dear!
Swallowing her hesitation, Lumia entered her new home.
The first thing that struck her, as was always the case in Plato, was how spacious the room was. There was room for at least fifty people, or a hundred if they lived atop each other as they did in Lumia¡¯s ever-more-distant home city, Glassfall. Yet most of the space had been consumed by a set of black upholstered sofas, which in themselves could seat ten people comfortably.
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One wall was not a wall, nor had it any business being what it was: the entire span was a window that peered out onto the school¡¯s grounds. From this angle, Lumia could only see the clouds beyond the Edge of Plato, all painted in glorious pinks and golds by the late afternoon sun. That was slightly more comforting than seeing land. The lack of landmarks helped to create the illusion, one bolstered by Lumia¡¯s own desperation, that there was nothing beyond the window, that everything she need concern herself with was right here within these four curving walls. Even so, she promised herself she would avoid standing near that window at all costs!
At the far end of the room was a large table¡ªagain, too large for six residents¡ªwith a dozen or so wheeled chairs tucked under its lip. As far as Lumia could tell, Platonians must hate walking and preferred to roll their way about the city, given there were so many chairs with wheels!
The table was where Lumia¡¯s classmates, her familia, had all congregated.
Alan perked up as they walked in. ¡°They brought sandwiches! Hurry up before Tock takes all the ones with sweet potato.¡±
Not answering and still munching, Tock grabbed another one of these sandwiches from a tray the table. Lumia counted three wedges in her hands.
¡°Seriously, nobody can stop her,¡± Alan groaned. ¡°Just get here quick.¡±
Alan waved around a brown, half-eaten wedge, which she assumed was one of these sandwiches. Though Lumia had no idea what they were, the sheer thought of food was enough to carry her over to the table. Seeing them up close, Lumia¡¯s stomach began to growl. Set upon a large tray were all sorts of tasty colours: pinks and ambers and browns, and all shades of green. And the scent! She¡¯d never smelled anything so sweet in her life. Perhaps somewhere within the library in her head there was a word or two stuffed away that could describe these sensations, but Lumia had no way to recall them, associate them, make them her own. And even if she did, she was far too hungry to care.
Her mouth began to water and her hand drifted idly to the tray. She took one of the sandwiches with green inside¡ªLumia knew that many vegetables with great nutritional value tended to be green, so it was a safe choice. Tentatively, she raised it to her mouth and took that first bite.
Lumia¡¯s eyes lit up. The flavour, the texture, the everything! Never had she known such pleasure could exist, but now that she¡¯d experienced it she couldn¡¯t do without it. Even when she had spent her month in quarantine, just after completing her Ascension tests, she had only eaten a bland goop which was provided to her by the Bulwarks, the unarmed peacekeepers of Plato. Granted, it was better than what she had in Glassfall, but this sandwich? It was too good to describe. She scarfed it down in an instant, savouring those few fleeting seconds. Then her hand automatically shot out for the tray and took another.
This one was different¡ªshe didn¡¯t know the words to describe it, but she would learn. After she ate it. That sandwich too was gone in an instant.
Tock glared at Lumia, causing the blonde-haired girl to pause halfway to the tray. Then Tock grabbed the sandwich that Lumia was aiming for and stuffed it into the pile already in her hands. Grinning, she spun and headed for one of the six doors that lined the wall opposite the window.
¡°Alright, I have work to do!¡± she declared. ¡°If you call, I won¡¯t answer.¡± Before anyone could respond, she¡¯d slipped into a room, slammed the door shut, and the lock indicator on a panel beside the door switched to red.
Morgan was next to stand. ¡°I think I will retire early as well.¡± She picked up a sandwich with leafy green insides. ¡°Please leave the kale sandwiches. I may need to eat again in a few hours.¡±
¡°You can have them,¡± said Leo, making a disgusted face. To himself he muttered, ¡°Seriously, are sandwiches all they could put together?¡±
Then she too slipped behind one of the doors and the light went red. Now there were four of them, and Lumia was eyeing the tray hungrily. She glanced at Leo. He seemed to have stopped eating.
¡°Are you having another?¡± Lumia asked, remembering at last to be polite.
Leo shook his head. She turned to Alan, who had picked up a sandwich with red inside. It looked so juicy!
¡°How many should I leave for you?¡± Lumia¡¯s stomach growled.
Alan shook his head. ¡°Just have what you want.¡±
Raphael picked a green sandwich off the tray. Its kind appeared to be the most populous. ¡°If we need more we can order them.¡±
¡°Right, I forget you¡¯re new here,¡± Leo chimed in, brushing his messy hair back. ¡°Plato produces way more food than what we need and the excess is delivered to the surface. There¡¯s always enough here. Have as much as you want.¡±
Lumia was still standing, in fact the only one of her classmates standing at the table. She placed herself in the empty chair beside her and eyed the tray. Her mouth watered in anticipation. ¡°Are you sure?¡±
¡°Go for it,¡± said Alan. He snatched up another brown sandwich.
Like a collar had been removed from her neck, Lumia dove for the sandwiches. She tried everything, then tried them all again. The world faded from consciousness¡ªconversations, words, the subtle vibrations that permeated all of Plato which she had never quite got used to. Unnecessary senses dimmed as she focused her entire being on the taste, a world of pleasure so foreign to her yet so homely. With every bite came a new experience, a new sensation, a river of mysteries pouring into her with every bite and swallow. She couldn¡¯t stop to examine them though. She needed more.
It wasn¡¯t until she tried to swallow another bitter green sandwich and found it slow and difficult to go down. Lumia knew then that her stomach couldn¡¯t take anymore punishment. She stared longingly at the remaining portion of sandwich, wishing for just another taste.
She tried to lean back and¡ªstomach, heavy! Groaning, she thought, So this is what overeating feels like.
Not wanting to discard perfectly edible food, regardless of what her friends had said about the Plato¡¯s abundance of food, she held out the bite-ridden morsel. ¡°Would anyone like to finish¡ª¡±
Lumia¡¯s heart sank when she saw their faces. All of them stared at her with some measure of bafflement, disgust even. Thinking she had broken a taboo unbeknownst to her, Lumia¡¯s face reddened. She lowered the sandwich and averted her gaze. Then she realised the cause, and her heart fell.
The tray was nearly empty. She¡¯d eaten over half the sandwiches on her own! You glutton. You fool. Keep this up and they¡¯ll run you out of the school.
Leo raised his eyebrows. ¡°That was¡ wild.¡±
¡°Is there a black hole in there or something,¡± said Alan, jutting his chin towards Lumia¡¯s stomach. ¡°I think I got through eight quarter wedges before I had to give up.¡±
¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Lumia said, her voice weak. ¡°I¡¯ve never done that before. I don¡¯t know what came over me.¡± It was difficult to breathe! Was this normal?
Raphael¡¯s thick eyebrows knitted together. ¡°You¡¯ve never done what? Overeat?¡±
Lumia nodded. ¡°Where I was from, there was never enough food. What we ate was produced in old factories. Those factories cultivated organic materials from anything we fed it¡ªcarbon-based things, of course. Plant matter, insects, healthy-looking soil.¡± She shrugged. ¡°People.¡±
Leo jerked forward and stared at her incredulously. ¡°You ate people?¡±
¡°Not exactly,¡± she sighed. Lumia realised too late that she probably should have avoided bringing that one up, but she was so bloated. Her stomach was round. Round!
¡°It¡¯s just their carbon-matter. It gets broken down into the essential components and rearranged so it¡¯s no different from any other living organism. But, we don¡¯t feed them into the factories alive.¡± Most of the time, that was. That one she definitely would not tell her classmates¡ªno, anyone! The factories were run by the many Cricks that partitioned Glassfall for themselves, and if you got on their bad side, well¡ ¡°A corpse can¡¯t do anything, so, why not put it to good use?¡±
¡°Makes sense,¡± Alan acknowledged, but he shuddered anyway.
Raphael stared intensely at the near-empty tray. Crumbs lay everywhere, but the majority of them radiated away from Lumia. ¡°That sounds terrible.¡±
He seemed so depressed. In that case, Lumia was not going to tell him that it was getting harder to come by carbon-matter in Glassfall, and that food production was dropping every season. There was no solution for cultivating more life in the region. There couldn¡¯t be! There was hardly any sunlight given that cloud cover was so persistent over the area. Hunters were being sent further and further away from the city, but the life in the region had slowly been gobbled up by those machines.
Lumia shrugged. ¡°You get used to it. You make use of whatever you can to get by.¡±
Raphael nodded without looking her way. The other two men remained silent. That would not do. Lumia didn¡¯t need people getting depressed on her behalf, not after she¡¯d just gobbled down all of their food.
She held out the half-eaten sandwich again. ¡°Does anyone want to finish it off?¡±
¡°Woah, absolutely null,¡± Alan cried.
Lumia tore her hand back. Her cheeks had gone bright red again. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry. I didn¡¯t realise¡ª¡±
¡°It¡¯s unhealthy,¡± Raphael said. ¡°To share food.¡±
¡°Sorry. So what do I do with it?¡±
¡°Garbage disposal,¡± Leo said. He pointed at a set of upright containers along a wall. ¡°Use the one with O on its lid. It¡¯s for food. Don¡¯t mix anything. That makes it harder to recycle.¡±
Lumia stared forlornly at the scrap. ¡°Still, I feel so bad for letting it go to waste.¡±
Leo waved a hand dismissively. ¡°It¡¯ll go to the compost. The worms¡¯ll eat it. Then we¡¯ll use their droppings as fertiliser to make more food.¡±
¡°In the future, try not to overeat,¡± said Raphael, looking very stern. ¡°Not just to avoid waste, but also for your own health.¡±
Lumia nodded and managed a smile. She shifted to stand up, but then her stomach churned and she felt unbalanced, heavy. She dropped back into her chair and it nearly spun half way around before she planted her feet on the ground.
¡°I can¡¯t move,¡± she groaned. It was ridiculous! She knew that not eating enough could make someone weak, but this? How could too much energy be a bad thing?
With a twinkle in his eye, Leo chuckled, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just leave it on the table and it¡¯ll get cleaned up.¡±
¡°Are you sure?¡± said Lumia.
Leo nodded, and she obliged, though somewhat hesitantly. Her spot at the table had become a complete disaster, reminiscent of the collapsed towers, erected in a long-gone age back in Glassfall. Left to gather rust and dirt. Alone. Abandoned. She turned away and quickly stuffed those depressing memories away.
¡°How about I show you your room?¡± Raphael said, standing abruptly.
He must have noticed Lumia¡¯s mood. Really, it wasn¡¯t like her to lose complete control over herself like that. From now on I need to avoid sandwiches, she decided, though there was little conviction in it.
Lumia turned to Raphael. ¡°How about we talk for a little while longer. I¡¯d like to learn about you all.¡± Well, that wasn¡¯t a lie, but more importantly, listening was all she could manage right now.
Chapter 17 - A noose around your neck keeps you from slipping off the edge
Lumia
It was quiet in her room. So quiet that Lumia¡¯s ears rang. The silence brought back a rush of memories of those lonely nights that she¡¯d spent locked up in quarantine. Nights and days. Well, the days weren¡¯t as bad. At least during the day she¡¯d had people to talk to. Sometimes.
Thankfully, the shifting of feet on carpet broke up the monotonous ringing in her ears. Raphael stood by the door with his hands behind his back, like he was Lumia¡¯s personal guard. If she were to guess, she¡¯d assume he felt like he was intruding. His embarrassment was endearing, as was his eagerness to help. As far as she could tell, he had no ulterior motives. He had been kind to her the moment they¡¯d met, on the steps outside of King¡¯s College, and he was kind now. To her, to everyone in Class Euripides.
Raphael nodded her way. ¡°If you brought any possessions with you, they should all be here.¡±
Lumia smiled back. ¡°Only what you see on me.¡±
Raphael grimaced. He must have realised his blunder. Prospects were not allowed to bring any possessions with them from the surface, save for a single keepsake. Lumia had been told it was to reduce the chance of spreading disease, though she was not fully convinced on account of the one month quarantine period.
¡°Bathroom is over there,¡± he said, jutting his chin towards a closed door. Its lock light was a vibrant green. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know how to use it?¡±
¡°Of course! Unless the bathrooms here are different from those in quarantine.¡± Actually, that was concerning. The food was completely different. Why wouldn¡¯t the bathrooms be?
¡°Faucets are activated¡ª¡±
¡°When your hands are under them. Temperature is set to an ideal warmth.¡±
¡°And the shower¡ª¡±
¡°Turns on when you step in.¡± Lumia shared a soft chuckle. ¡°Everything is made to be easy to use. Except for the terminals. The options on those are as numerous as a person¡¯s needs!¡±
Raphael exhaled a laugh. ¡°If something breaks, you¡¯ll need to apply for a replacement,¡± he explained. ¡°It¡¯s not easy to get one though.¡±
¡°I imagine that resources are scarce.¡±
Raphael shook his head. ¡°There are more than enough resources in Plato to replace everything here. But we try to keep our footprint small. The Educators enforce this by placing restrictions on what you can have, and when. Otherwise, everything in your room is yours.¡±
Yours. The word tumbled haphazardly through Lumia¡¯s mind, so difficult to grasp. Hers. Not to be shared.
Lumia began grazing through the room, taking everything in. The carpet was soft beneath her feet, and she wanted so badly to take her slippers off and feel it on her soles. She came to a tall drawer, grey and perfectly angular. Tentatively, she brushed her fingers across the top. When she brough her hand to her face, her fingertips were clean. No dust, no dirt, no steel splinters, no sprinkles of rust¡ªnone of the dredge that was hereditary to Glassfall. Just a clean, indistinct surface.
¡°Your uniform should be in there,¡± Raphael said, referring to the drawer. ¡°You¡¯ll need to wear it tomorrow. Being a girl, you get to choose between wearing pants or a skirt. How lucky!¡±
Lumia turned and met a forced grin. She merely blinked at him, then stared at her hand once more. ¡°Lucky,¡± she said under her breath.
The shaven man nodded. ¡°If you have any trouble, feel free to call me.¡±
Unceremoniously, he turned to leave. When he opened the door, Leo and Alan¡¯s conversation breathed into the room. Then the door closed behind Raphael and it was silent again. Lumia¡¯s ears rang. She sought refuge in the exploration of her room.
Everything was clean and sparkly, as was the way of Plato. Only perfection was accepted. Compared to the pristine white coverings on her bed, and the spotless top of her desk, and the glass of her window so polished that Lumia could see her own reflection staring back at her, she was a disaster! Her hair was wildly frayed, her eyes were pitted from exhaustion, and her robes were yellowed from perspiration¡ªthat was due more to her stress for wanting to make a good first impression than physical exertion.
Everything in the room was spread out, making full use of the excessive space. Her desk was in one corner, her bed in another. Sitting lonely atop the desk was a screen with a keyboard attached, folded closed¡ªone of the portable terminals seen everywhere in Plato. An empty bookshelf was isolated against a wall, and her drawers were an unnecessary distance from the wardrobe. Lumia creaked open the wardrobe door and¡ªanother space? She could actually walk inside! She could not imagine who would need so much room, or who would own so many clothes that they¡¯d manage to fill up such a void. She herself had been given five sets of uniforms hanging from the racks: all deep black and bright golds, wide lapels on the jacket, pleated skirts and white blouses, gold neck ties, pressed and smoothed out so that each item appeared to be more of a board than something intended to rest around her form. Frowning, she slid the door shut, being careful not to slam it.
But despite how many things she now miraculously owned, there was still so much space for more.
Wanting not to dwell on this situation anymore, she sank down onto the bed and kicked her slippers off. The bed was soft, too comfortable, moulding itself around her bottom. The full weight of her fatigue came crashing down on her. For the longest time she sat there doing nothing, just being a part of the world.
I forgot to ask Raphael how to use my device to call, Lumia realised. But I¡¯ll be fine. All that I need is within my thrall. I¡¯ll keep my footprint small.
Sighing deeply, Lumia unwound her hair tie and let her long, blonde hair unfurl around her. Gingerly, she placed the cloth beside her, careful not disturb the frayed ends. It was her only keepsake, her only connection with a home she¡¯d never see again: a tattered piece of a flag, from her country when it had still been a country. From a time when countries meant something. Back then, they¡¯d called it Australia.
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When she was so small that the adults looked like as tall as the skyscrapers, she¡¯d salvaged it from the ruins of a collapsed building while she scavenged for anything worth selling. Back then, she hadn¡¯t known what it was, but she had known it meant something. Old world artifacts tended to sell well, even if it was nothing but a tattered piece of polyester. Yet Lumia couldn¡¯t bring herself to part with it. So she¡¯d kept the flag and gone hungry that night. Let her sister go hungry.
Clementine¡¯s cries that night had been heart-breaking, but Lumia had felt¡ªhad wanted to believe¡ªthat there were matters more important than the next meal. There needed to be a reason to keep moving other than to keep living. There needed to be. And since that day, she¡¯d promised herself she would find it. A few years later¡ªyears, as far as one could tell when the weather was always hot and the days were one long struggle¡ªthe skies had parted and for the first time Lumia had seen light. She¡¯d found her reason in the floating city of Plato.
But now that she stood in the sky, nestled comfortably within the last hope of humanity, she was not quite sure what exactly that reason was meant to be. So she held onto the only matter that made true sense to her: to keep fighting for her sister¡¯s sake.
Little remained of that flag now besides a long and fraying strip that Lumia had taken great pains to maintain. On one end was as flash of white and red¡ªthe remains of the union jack. On the other was a single star. She¡¯d never seen a star either, again due to persistent cloud cover. Even up on Plato, the reflection from the skydome made it impossible to see anything but grey in the depths of night.
It¡¯s just me, now. Me, alone in the darkness. Me, invisible in the artificial light.
Lumia grimaced. That was not her best poetry. Actually, it was terrible, and not worth writing down. She flopped down onto her bed, taking care not to disturb her ribbon. Staring up at the blank white ceiling, she tried not to think.
Thinking was a danger right now, because Lumia was afraid. She¡¯d done her best not to show it, though she was certain the Educators had spotted it. They were a brilliant lot, far more brilliant than Lumia had initially given them credit. They saw through her, and that terrified her a little. But not as much her own thoughts as they lingered into imagination, conjuring up ideas of what tomorrow would bring. And all the horrible ways she could fail.
She tried not to think. Her ears started to ring again. The dreadful silence was back!
When she was in quarantine, Lumia had never really got used the quiet. She¡¯d needed to break it up with occasional humming, singing, talking to herself, or simply making odd sounds. More awkwardly, she was being monitored the entire time and was conscious that every bit of strangeness she portrayed, the Bulwarks would note and wield against her. But that ringing was horrible! It took only three days of isolation before she could no longer maintain her smiling act and started talking to herself.
Still, three days was still longer than what she¡¯d lasted at King¡¯s College. She¡¯d made a complete fool of herself in front of Morgan, during the test today. At least Morgan didn¡¯t seem like the kind of girl who would gossip to everyone in earshot.
Lumia blinked at the ceiling, trying to get the sting out of her eyes. That speech. Morgan¡¯s speech. That something inexplicable. Upon arriving to Plato, she knew there¡¯d be a whole culture in the floating city that she would have to accustom herself to. However, she had no idea how to go about it and so, before entering King¡¯s College, she figured she¡¯d smile and keep her head low. But that speech.
She¡¯d felt it, what it meant to be a Platonian, if only for a brief moment. And she believed in it. She wanted it, to burn bright, to be remembered, to leave a mark on the world that could never be forgotten. It stung so badly that chills ran through her body and tears welled in her eyes. She wanted it all, and something more. Something she couldn¡¯t name; a ravenous beast that dwelled inside her that had no form or shape, that words could not explain it.
Lumia rubbed her eyes and shook the thought away. Ah, this quiet is unbearable. My thoughts are unrelenting!
Thankfully the silence was broken again by her bathroom door opening on its own.
Lumia froze. Her eyes snapped to the door. Something was moving. She couldn¡¯t see it, but a yellow fin poked over the lip of her bedstand. It slid from one side to the other, approaching the centre of the room.
Holding her breath, she lifted her head. And came face to face with two glowing red rings for eyes.
Morgan
It was gloriously quiet! So much had happened today and Morgan wanted no more of it¡ªthe people, that was. People were always the source of her problems.
But here they would not harm her. She was wrapped in a blanket cocoon, letting her body toast, laying catatonically in a divot in her mattress she had carved out for herself over many years. She had refused to part with her mattress despite being offered a new one on many occasions. This was how she slept every night, and she would have it no other way. It was warm. It was safe.
Still, it would take some getting used to. Her current room was much larger than her last, and arranged differently as well. As much as it irked her, there was no way to avoid such a setup. She had given specific instructions to the school about how she wanted her room arranged, but given the odd position of the wardrobe and bathroom, only so much could be done.
Despite her fatigue, Morgan could not sleep.
This was a new place with many unfamiliar faces. It had been a rough day, but Morgan had made it into King¡¯s College. She still could not believe she was here. The bedroom felt more or less the same as any of her previous ones, despite its different arrangement, helped in part by her possessions being transplanted into this space. The room was not the source of her discomfort. Rather, it was her new family.
She drew an arm out of her blanket wrappings and propped herself up.
I am sure they are fine people. They all seem exceptionally bright in their own ways, and bright people tend to worry about their studies above all else.
As though to spite herself, memories rushed through her: Lumia declaring she would set the world on fire; Leo abandoning her; Alan with his head in his meus; Raphael crushing a student¡¯s nose; Tock speaking when she was told not to.
Her own hubris.
Stomach churning, Morgan sought a distraction. She threw her legs over the edge of the bed and drew the blankets around her. Standing, snatching her meus off the bedside table, she shuffled across the spacious room sat with her back to the wall, right beside the door. She played with her meus¡¯ settings and the intercom above her switched on. Static-filled voices poured through.
¡°¡ªand then she bit my hand!¡± shouted Alan.
A voice chuckled in response, which Morgan recognised as Leo.
¡°Maybe you should have talked before you got into the fight,¡± replied Raphael.
¡°How? She was being completely unreasonable. People don¡¯t bite; animals do.¡±
¡°I guess,¡± said Raphael hesitantly.
¡°I still can¡¯t believe you got locked up,¡± said Leo. ¡°How many terminals were there, again?¡±
¡°Six!¡± said Alan. ¡°And get this: one was supposed to unlock the admin rooms. Speaking of which, why didn¡¯t you search for the terminals?¡±
¡°I was, er, busy,¡± said Raphael.
¡°Hey, it¡¯s over,¡± Leo said snappishly. ¡°Let¡¯s worry about what happens tomorrow.¡±
Despite the arguing, they all sounded so acquainted. No, it was the arguing that made them seem so close. That was strange to Morgan. She could not understand why she would get the impression that an argument was so pleasant.
I wish I could join them, she thought.
Exhaling, Morgan slouched forward and tried to imagine what her first day of school would bring. She thought of her future, and all of the things she could be. She could be a hero. She could be loved by everyone. People would respect her, praise her. She could be someone that the world needed.
A scream pierced through the intercom and rattled her ears. Heart leaping, Morgan threw off her blankets and ripped open the door, not worrying if her timing revealed she was sitting beside it and eavesdropping.
When she entered the common room, she saw complete stupidity.
Chapter 18 - The need to breathe gives me a chance to speak
Morgan
She walked into complete stupidity. Lumia had burst out of her room and into the Class Euripides common room, still dressed in her filthy tabula rasa. She was slumped on the ground with her outrageously long hair was sprawled all around her. Raphael knelt before her made soothing noises as Lumia sobbed into his chest. Bouncing foot to foot beside them, Alan was quizzing her for what was wrong. Lumia responded with incomprehensible babbling.
As though a black hole had opened up and threatened to suck them in, Lumia pointed at her room¡¯s door and her screaming began anew. She tried to scramble up and run, but Raphael caught her and held her still. Lumia shuffled behind Raphael and tried to hide, terror stricken on her face.
Then a short yellow robot wheeled out of the doorway. Its eyes sat atop a thin and long ¡°head¡±, which was reminiscent of a dog¡¯s snout, and its thick torso gave way to a framed suspension system that sported four large wheels. The robot¡ªor exohelper, as they were commonly known¡ªonly rose to Morgan¡¯s stomach in height, though its base would allow it to elevate itself up if need be. It turned its head at a steady pace, scanned the room, then raised an arm and waved hello.
Leo emerged from the room a second later with a grin slapped on his face. ¡°I found the culprit,¡± he said, then stubbed the exohelper¡¯s back with his toe.
Morgan¡¯s mouth hung open. Of all the stupid things she had seen in her life, nothing came anywhere close to this. It was an exohelper! Who would be so insufferably stupid as to think that a small dog-faced robot, whose only purpose in life was to help its human masters, would be so life threatening as to scream the entire building down?
She was two seconds from stomping over there and giving Lumia an earful when another door opened. Tock leaned through the doorway with a giant grin, and her face spotted with black grease. She had even managed to get grease in her hair, though now she wore a different red hairband, one which had no patterns, which had become just as filthy as the rest of her. Tock presented a stray piece of copper wire.
¡°Hey, does anyone want some wire? I have¡ª¡± she froze when her eyes settled on Lumia. Face dropping, Tock turned to Alan. ¡°What happened? Did you show her one of the apps you made?¡±
¡°Me?¡± cried Alan. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything. I was¡ªhey!¡± He thrust a finger at Tock. ¡°You broke yours again, didn¡¯t you?¡±
¡°Where else am I going to get a blade? Educators still treat us like children and don¡¯t let us order them.¡±
¡°That¡¯s because you are a child!¡±
Morgan was trembling. Not from cold, or from fear, but from blind fury. Breathing heavily, she stomped over to the exohelper, not caring that she was barefooted and wearing her black and gold King¡¯s College pyjamas. Pressing her meus to its head, an interface came up and Morgan quickly sent it back to its charging station. Leo, who was still in the doorway, ducked out the way. Throughout the ordeal, Lumia had calmed down a little though she was still trembling. Not making eye contact with Lumia¡ªnot wanting to aggravate herself further¡ªMorgan moved a couple doors across and glared down at Tock. The grease-ridden girl grinned back at her.
¡°Tock,¡± she said slowly, unable to thaw the chill in her voice. ¡°You do know how little copper we have on Plato, right? How difficult it is to get from the surface? Tell me, where did you get the copper?¡±
The curly-haired girl stuffed her hand behind her back and her hazel eyes darted around the room. ¡°Nowhere.¡± She looked past Morgan at Alan. ¡°On a completely unrelated note, can I borrow your bot? Mine is, er, out of order.¡±
She was being ignored. Morgan was being ignored by someone whose behaviour was completely out of line, while everyone was acting like¡ªlike children! Like complete children who did not understand the gravity of their situation and thought only to play. Like irrational idiots who had no clue how close they had come to ruining all of their lives today. She was tired, in need of a good ten-or-so hours of sleep, hungry yet unable to eat more due to her stomach¡¯s constant roiling. And¡ª
Morgan peeked at the table and went cold. All of the kale sandwiches were gone. The only readily available food which sat well with her stomach was gone despite Morgan specifically telling them to leave some. Oh, she could order more, but that would have been a waste when they could have just eaten the other ones.
She snapped.
¡°I cannot believe you all,¡± Morgan said, frosty, under her breath. She raised her voice to a shriek. ¡°I cannot believe you! We have been here for an hour¡ªan hour¡ªand you have all done nothing but act like children.¡±
Five pairs of eyes stared at her, stunned. Morgan was a little embarrassed by the attention, but mostly she was intoxicated with righteous indignation. She kept on yelling.
¡°Leo! What is wrong with you?¡±
¡°Me?¡± he shouted. ¡°You¡¯re the one yelling.¡±
¡°You could clearly see there was a problem and you made it worse. What sort of irrationality is that?¡±
¡°Go jump off the Edge,¡± Leo spat. ¡°I was cheering her up. What¡¯s wrong with a joke?¡±
Morgan bared her teeth and stomped over to them. ¡°This is not a joke; this is stupidity! And you!¡± She thrust a finger at Lumia. The trembling girl¡¯s back stiffened and she took a hasty step away from Raphael. ¡°Why are you screaming over a robot? What is wrong with you? You are not a child anymore, so stop clinging to others. Hugging is for children; we are the future of the planet!¡±
His fists balled, Leo thrust forward and was in Morgan¡¯s face. His features were twisted and uglier than Morgan had ever seen them. Refusing to be intimidated, Morgan gritted her teeth and remained as firm as graphene.
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¡°When did you earn the laude to tell people how to behave?¡±
¡°I am only telling you to do what is right,¡± Morgan snapped back.
¡°Oh, and you think you know what¡¯s right?¡±
¡°I am telling you to behave in the way that is best for everyone! Being irresponsible and childish will only hinder our capacity to save our world. Or did you forget that Earth is literally choking to death because of our mistakes?¡±
¡°You know what? You sound exactly like an Isolationist. Just do what the science says and never question anything,¡± he said sarcastically. ¡°Are you going to let them control how you think?¡±
¡°Please, Leo, she¡¯s right.¡±
Both Leo and Morgan turned, the heat between them seeming to dissipate. Lumia stood with her hands clasped before her and a gentle smile stuck on her face. She was no longer crying and her cheeks were cleaned of tears, but her blue eyes were still bleary. The sight of her was a complete shock to Morgan but, strangely, she felt liberated. That Lumia was agreeing with her rather than arguing like everyone else did was¡ confusing, yet satisfying. And since she was so unused to such an occurrence, Morgan was not sure she truly believed Lumia.
¡°Oh, come on!¡± Leo shouted. ¡°Are you seriously going to believe her crap? It¡¯s propaganda. You don¡¯t have to be what they tell you to be.¡±
Lumia gave a slight nod. ¡°I wish that were true, Leo, but unfortunately this was agreed upon when I entered Plato.¡±
¡°But¡ª¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I promised to do my best and that is what I must do.¡±
Morgan¡¯s thoughts leaped back to the test, which now felt like it was an eternity away despite only having ended a couple hours ago. Lumia had screamed at the Educators that she would go to any lengths for her sister¡¯s sake. Was that part of her reasoning? Was she really doing this for no reason other than to protect her sister? If so, that was depressing, and somewhat infuriating.
Do you not actually care about the world? Are we nothing but a footnote in your studies?
From beside the long-haired girl, Raphael shook his head. ¡°No, Morgan¡¯s not right. We shouldn¡¯t be attacking our classmates.¡±
¡°On the contrary,¡± Lumia said. ¡°I was behaving childishly. But from this day on I will be a model student of Class Euripides.¡±
Raphael opened his mouth to speak again but hesitated. Lumia cut him off.
¡°Please, let¡¯s not start a fight.¡±
Though she said it so sweetly, Raphael¡¯s expression soured. He said, ¡°Fine. I¡¯m going to bed.¡± Then he turned and walked away. His bedroom door gently clicked shut behind him and the lock turned red, indicating that his soundproofing was on, that he was isolated from the world.
Morgan watched in silence. Though she was still upset, a seed of regret was growing in the pit of her stomach. Raphael was loyal and during the test had done so much for her¡ªfor everyone! Morgan knew she was in the right¡ªeven Lumia agreed with her¡ªbut after that she felt wrong.
Dejected, Morgan did not want to continue arguing. She figured she had said too much. But then Leo rounded on her, his miscoloured eyes flashing with fury. Reflexively, Morgan drew herself tall such that her sight was level with Leo¡¯s.
¡°Do you see what you did?¡± he said.
If she had been angry before, now Morgan was inconsolable. Heat rose into her cheeks. Her whole body trembled. Her voice grated like steel grinding on glass. ¡°What I did? What I did? You¡¯re blaming me for a choice that Raphael made? Did I tell him to leave? No. Did I even speak to him? No! That was his decision. Don¡¯t you dare blame me for it.¡±
Leo¡¯s voice rose to match hers. ¡°None of this would have happened if you hadn¡¯t come out here and started telling everyone what to do.¡±
¡°And what? Should I have let you continue terrorising Lumia?¡±
¡°Oh, now you¡¯re on her side!¡± he howled, gesticulating towards Lumia. The long-haired girl witnessed the scene with her brows furrowed and her fingers wriggling into knots. ¡°Wasn¡¯t she a child that didn¡¯t need you to baby her?¡± Leo pressed on.
¡°She doesn¡¯t. But I am much less annoyed with her than I am with you.¡±
¡°Why? Because I¡¯m not uptight enough for you? Not walking around like I have a rod for a spine?¡±
¡°Because I had thought better of you!¡±
When the words slipped out of her mouth, Morgan immediately stiffened. That was not intentional. That was personal. Though she had been told often, by her Educators and by her Guide, that it was productive to explain your feelings about others¡¯ behaviour in a constructive manner, Morgan¡¯s experiences with honesty had demonstrated the opposite. Almost always, whenever she uttered a personal word to another student, it had the strange habit of circling back around to her and striking her in the back. And given Leo¡¯s current behaviour, Morgan¡¯s intuition which screamed to not trust him, had been right. He had turned on her so quickly. Now he had acquired a weapon to use against her.
But there was no mocking grin, or any malicious expression on Leo¡¯s face. Rather, he seemed taken aback. Morgan had no idea how to process that information.
Neither she nor Leo had a chance to speak, however, as Tock interrupted them by clapping her hands. ¡°Alright, time for bed.¡±
Leo peered over his shoulder at Tock, then looked back at Morgan, deep lines scouring the edges of his eyes. He shook his head then stepped past Morgan. A few seconds later he was locked in his room, leaving Morgan to wonder just what was going through his head¡ªor if she need be concerned about any future repercussions.
Tock nodded, smiled to herself, then turned to Alan. ¡°You. Bed!¡±
Alan threw his hands up and cried, ¡°But I didn¡¯t do anything.¡±
The shorter girl poked him with a greasy finger, leaving a smudge on Alan¡¯s shirt. ¡°Exactly. Bed!¡±
Mumbling to himself, Alan slinked off to his room and locked the door, leaving only the girls. Morgan fully expected one of them to speak up and criticise her behaviour, but to her surprise, Lumia smiled and offered a slight bow, her outrageously long hair swishing about her.
¡°You¡¯ve seen a side of me so unsightly,¡± Lumia said. ¡°My hope is that it stays a distant memory.¡±
A second later, Lumia¡¯s eyes bulged, she bowed deeply, and rephrased. ¡°Please forget what happened today.¡± There was particular emphasis on ¡°today¡±, and Morgan had the feeling she was speaking of more than the events that had just transpired.
Then Lumia passed between Tock and Morgan to enter her room. She paused at the door and her eyes darted to a corner of the room. Taking a deep breath, she entered and closed the door. The lock indicator neither blinked nor changed colour, meaning the door was unlocked.
That left only Tock and Morgan. The frizzy-haired girl was an absolute mess. Something needed to be done about that¡ªtearing up school property for whatever reason was not a healthy practice, and in fact was unnecessarily wasteful! Though Plato had plenty of resources, that was only because everyone was doing their share and not wasting what was given to them. Yet Morgan did not have it in her to keep arguing. Nor did she want to pursue the matter further. She knew she ought to, but she had this falling feeling in her gut that to do so would be¡ wrong.
As Tock went to say something, Morgan turned and made her own way to bed. She was not about to be lectured. She did not deserve one. She had been in the right¡ªshe knew it!
But as she locked her door behind her, a heavy weight pressed down on her shoulders. Her back to the door, Morgan slid down until she was seated, drew her legs in, and curled into a fetal position. Her whole body felt sluggish¡ªit was like fatigue, but there was a quality to it that made it so much more oppressive, as though even thinking, let alone moving from her spot by the door, would cause her pain.
I was in the right. They were all behaving so stupidly and not at all like how Class Euripides ought to behave. She drew a deep ragged breath. So why do I feel like I am the bad guy?
Chapter 19 - The need to move keeps you running from the uncomfortable truth
Lumia
Lumia bolted upright, gasping, from an ear-piercing ring from beside her. The sound was unfamiliar. The soft surface beneath her felt strange. The pristine white walls made angles that grated against her hazy memories. It took a few more ragged breaths before Lumia remembered where she was, and that the ringing was coming from an electronic device. Her electronic device.
She snatched the meus off the bedside table and stared helplessly at the screen. It read, Door: Roxelana. Lumia blinked at the screen, wracking her brain for a sliver of comprehension. It was no use as she was still trying to unclog the morning haze from her thoughts.
How do I answer, again? she panicked.
Her hands shaking, hear breath held, Lumia began mashing icons on the screen. She did something, then the call screen disappeared.
¡°Oh no, I¡¯m such an idiot!¡± she cried. ¡°I should have¡ª¡±
¡°That¡¯s why I told you not to do it!¡± a voice shouted from the meus, sounding tinny through the meus¡¯ speakers. Lumia recognised the voice. It was Alan¡¯s.
¡°Just don¡¯t look!¡± Tock wailed. Lumia winced as the speakers then produced a teeth-grinding rustle.
¡°And besides, she¡¯s not going to answer,¡± Alan continued. ¡°She doesn¡¯t even know how to use her meus.¡±
¡°And I said,¡± rebutted Morgan, her voice sounding more distant, ¡°that you should respect her privacy.¡±
¡°I vote for privacy,¡± added Raphael.
¡°Hey, she answered,¡± said Leo.
¡°Oh, cat!¡± Next moment, Tock¡¯s voice boomed into the room. ¡°Lumia, what are you doing?¡±
Lumia stared at her meus in complete disbelief. ¡°Wha¡ªwhat is it?¡± she uttered, her voice a blend of sleepiness and confusion.
¡°Are you in bed?¡±
¡°I¡ªyes, why?¡±
¡°You¡¯re going to be late!¡±
Lumia¡¯s heart began to leap as realisation creeped up on her. Oh, no, don¡¯t tell me I set the alarm incorrectly.
She turned the meus this way and that¡ªshe had never checked the time from the screen which showed all the icons. Panicking, she pulled the meus to her mouth. ¡°How do I see the time?¡±
¡°It¡¯s 6:37,¡± said Leo.
Lumia paused and took a moment to arrange the numbers in her head. ¡°But isn¡¯t breakfast at 7:45, and our first class at 8:30?¡±
¡°Yeah, but morning training starts in eight minutes!¡± Tock shrilled.
It took a while for Lumia to process what she had just heard, but there was one word which stuck out to her. A very unfamiliar word. ¡°T-training?¡±
There was a long pause. For a moment, Lumia thought she might have done something to her meus and cut off the call. But then Raphael muttered, ¡°Sorry. I should have told her.¡±
An unintelligible growl rose from Tock, then cut off as the call came to an abrupt end. Lumia stared at her meus a moment. ¡°Hello?¡± she said feebly.
The bedroom door slammed open. Standing in the doorway, wreathed by the light of the morning sun, was a girl with big frizzy hair. Tock was wearing a loose T-shirt and shorts, and her meus was gripped in one hand. In fact, the entirety of Class Euripides was wearing the same outfit, and they were all waiting by Lumia¡¯s door, for her. Even Morgan was there, resting against the couch behind them with her arms folded.
Lumia squeaked and dived under her blanket. She wasn¡¯t indecent as she was wearing the pyjamas that the school had provided her, but she had bed hair. Bed hair!
The door snapped shut again and Tock cried, ¡°Come on, get up! Do you know how much trouble we¡¯ll be in if we¡¯re late?¡±
¡°Trouble?¡± Lumia shrieked, risking a look above the blankets. Tock ripped open one of her draws and rifled through it, tossing bits of uniform over her shoulder. Lumia watched in horror as her clothes landed on the floor in a crumpled heap. They were going to get wrinkled!
¡°Yep. All of us. Because if one of us is late, then we¡¯re all going to be late.¡±
That bothered Lumia slightly. She understood if Leo and Raphael would make such a sacrifice for her as she had the impression they¡¯d do such a foolish thing, but after her argument with Morgan last night¡
Lumia dipped slightly into her blankets so that she could barely see over the hem. ¡°Did Morgan agree to wait as well?¡±
Tock paused with her hands stuffed in the drawer. ¡°Now that you mention it, she just went along with it.¡±
Tension drained away from Lumia, tension she hadn¡¯t been aware she¡¯d held all last night. If Morgan had been truly upset with her, then the highly particular girl would have left without them, allowing them all to fall without her. It would have been fair: nobody was responsible for Lumia¡¯s lateness but herself. She ought to have taken more time to understand the way things worked in King¡¯s College. But she was cagey at night, when she had too much time to think, so though she had inquired the other students on some matters she¡¯d kept her questions limited. That, and the events of last night were encouragement to keep her footprint small, as the Platonians would say. She gave her eyes a good rub, hoping that would help clear away some of the usual redness.
The hazel-eyed girl shrugged and resumed her search. A moment later her eyes brightened. She snatched up a pair of shorts, balled it up¡ªdoes she expect me to wear it like that? Then she tossed it at Lumia. It landed right on Lumia¡¯s face and she yelped from surprise.
¡°Don¡¯t worry about how you look,¡± Tock said. ¡°You¡¯re going to look way worse after we¡¯re done.¡±
¡°Okay, but you still have to leave.¡±
¡°It¡¯s good to see Class Euripides has finally joined us.¡±
A lean, bespectacled girl was waiting for them, impatiently. Her hair was pulled back so tight that her eyebrows rode up her scalp. Held before her was a flat terminal, one of the models that were just a screen with virtual keyboard that could be held comfortably in both hands. A tablet, Lumia recalled.
As Class Euripides approached the girl tapped on her terminal. A few dozen or so other students were there also, all wearing the same black with gold trim shorts and T-shirt as Class Euripides. The students smirked at them. But mostly at Lumia.
Which was no surprise, since she was completely puffed out from the jog out of the dormitories. In contrast, her classmates were breathing perfectly fine, making Lumia the odd one out. Blushing, Lumia straightened up, tried to regulate her breathing, and tucked her shirt back into her shorts now that it had come undone.
Leo threw the bespectacled girl a wave and a toothy grin. ¡°Sorry, I couldn¡¯t find my uniform.¡±
¡°I see,¡± she said. ¡°Then what is everyone else¡¯s excuse?¡±
¡°I couldn¡¯t find my uniform either,¡± Tock shouted so loudly that her voice returned to them as an echo.
The bespectacled girl eyed her suspiciously. ¡°Of course. Line up, then.¡± When she looked away, Tock poked her tongue at her.
The students that had arrived before them were standing on a white line that ran around a wide burgundy circuit. Lumia recognised what this structure was from pictures: a running track. This was her first time seeing one up close, and her first time standing on one! Contrary to what¡¯s its rough texture suggested, the surface was surprisingly soft¡ªeven through the souls of her shoes she could feel how cushy it was.
Regardless, it was no time to be thinking about such things. They were late, and so they needed to demonstrate a willingness to behave from now on. All of Class Euripides lined up in tandem with the other students.
The bespectacled girl nodded. She addressed them from a dew-dappled grass island that was caged in by the track. ¡°Now I will repeat what I had said to you all earlier, and you can thank Class Euripides for the delay. My name is Ising, after the esteemed Ernest Ising. I¡¯ve volunteered to supervise some of the tenth year students during morning exercise. Be sure to pay attention to your schedule because we rotate the school¡¯s facilities with other groups. If you attend the wrong facility, you will be marked as absent and receive a demerit. The longer you take to complete your assigned exercise regime, the less time you will have for breakfast.¡±
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Though outwardly she appeared attentive, Lumia listened with half an ear. She was too focused on her hair, running her fingers through it to untangle any knots that had crept their way in overnight. The rest of her attention was absorbed by the cold. She was completely unused to cold. In Glassfall, it was generally hot and muggy, though once in a while the temperature at night could drop low enough that she¡¯d have to huddle together with her sister to stay warm.
This, however, was a different kind of cold! The chill was persistent, intoxicating, broken only by the prickling sunlight. The air was thick with grey humidity that caused her breath to fog and her skin to break out in goosebumps. She would have preferred to give her arms a vigorous rub and to dance around on the spot to warm herself up, but that would have looked ridiculous. So she shivered instead.
All things considered, it was a gorgeous day. Droplets clung to the grass and the sunlight danced off them, making the ground shimmer. Steam rose from the island as radiant heat brought the dew to a boil. The wisps dissipated into the unknown, trapped somewhere between earth and dome. The surrounding buildings were greyed out by fog, making it seem like there was nothing before or behind them but the track and its impatient supplicants. It was a morning in flux: fleeting, and with a push one way or another it would soon be gone.
From beside her, Lumia could hear snickering. She leaned over to see what the commotion was and saw Leo stifling a laugh.
¡°Demerit,¡± he whispered, mocking Ising.
Raphael, who was beside Leo, gave no visible reaction other than a quick twitch of his mouth. On the other hand, Tock made a scratching sound with her throat and pressed her lips together, trying her best to stifle her laughter.
Lumia couldn¡¯t help but gape at Leo. Was he actually risking punishment just to make a few silly jokes? She had no clue what these demerits were, but Lumia was certain that it was something they could not afford to accumulate. They were Class Euripides, after all. They lived in the sturdiest tower in the city, so to speak, and there would be plenty of jealous people seeking to take it from them.
It seemed Morgan was thinking along the same lines. She hissed a little too audibly, ¡°Stop it!¡±
Ising paused from her lecture on punctuality and why students of King¡¯s College ought to excel in every aspect of life to glance down at her terminal. In a stern voice, she said, ¡°Under classmate Morgan, correct?¡±
Morgan stiffened up. ¡°Yes, upper classmate?¡±
¡°Is there anything you wish to share with your classmates?¡± Ising said, fixing Morgan with a hard stare.
Morgan glanced wide-eyed at Leo, her fingers pinching her shorts. Her toes touched the track¡¯s white line and she stared down at them. ¡°I¡ªno, upper classmate Ising.¡±
¡°Then perhaps you should apologise to them. For wasting their time.¡± Not a suggestion, but a statement.
Morgan¡¯s mouth worked, possibly searching for an excuse to give Ising. She had done the right thing, but arguing now would only cement Ising¡¯s position, giving her an excuse to scold Morgan further and blame her for holding up the class. It wasn¡¯t fair, and Lumia sympathised with Morgan, but authority was not supposed to be fair, only right.
¡°My apologies, upper classmate Ising. Class,¡± Morgan said reluctantly.
Lumia half expected Leo to snicker at her, but surprisingly he kept his eyes forward and wore a stony expression.
As she brushed her hair, Lumia¡¯s strokes grew idle: less focused on removing knots and moving more from habit. They¡¯d arrived late because of her. If they hadn¡¯t, then perhaps Ising would not have been so harsh on them. And the rest of the class would not have to suffer a later breakfast. Just thinking of food made her stomach rumble. She couldn¡¯t imagine how every other student was feeling.
Ising glanced down at her terminal again. ¡°Under classmate Lumia,¡± she said in a stern voice.
Lumia¡¯s hands froze and her mouth snapped into a reactive smile. ¡°Yes? Upper classmate Ising,¡± she added, copying the honorific from Morgan.
¡°You had all morning to play with your hair, now stop. You should be grateful that you were allowed to keep it that long, so how about you don¡¯t show it off.¡±
I take it back, Lumia thought. She¡¯s terrible.
Untangling her fingers from her hair, Lumia said, ¡°Sorry, upper classmate Ising,¡± and offered a slight dip of the head. She didn¡¯t bow, of course, because Ising was not deserving of such respect. Then she turned and bowed solemnly to her classmates. ¡°Sorry, everyone.¡±
Ising nodded her approval, then gave them their schedule. With every new instruction, Lumia¡¯s smile tightened a little more.
This is impossible!
Lumia had completed only four of her required ten laps around the track. Her feet were aching, she could barely raise them high enough to slide one foot in front of the next, and her lungs were on fire. Whatever chill she had felt before had left her entirely now. All she wanted to do was dive into a cold shower and never walk again.
She dragged a foot forward and clipped the back of her other shoe. With a gasp, she stumbled over and slapped onto the ground.
Lumia lay there, panting. She tried to muster up the strength to pick herself off the ground, but everything was sore, from both the fall and fatigue. A sting radiated from her palms down to her elbows, and Lumia realised she¡¯d grazed them both. Giving up, she ceased moving altogether and focused on catching her breath. The ground was cool and she lay as flat as she could to let it siphon off her body heat. Lumia figured that if she stayed perfectly still, everyone would ignore her.
This is my first day of school. Well, technically second, if she counted yesterday¡¯s crazy test, but officially her first. And I¡¯m already failing!
She heard feet stomp by and caught the flashes of dark grey running shoes. She kept her head down so as not to garner their attention. However, someone came to a skidding halt ahead of her, then walked back her way. Shortly, Lumia was cast in a cool shade as the figure stopped and crouched over her.
¡°You okay there?¡±
With an effort, Lumia raised her head and met Tock¡¯s gaze. Concern was written across the shorter girl¡¯s face. Lumia tried a smile, but grinning while breathing heavily was a near impossible feat.
¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Lumia managed. ¡°Just¡ªpretend¡ªI¡¯m not here.¡±
Tock considered her. ¡°You can slow down, you know,¡± she huffed. ¡°If you overdo it and hurt yourself, well, there¡¯s no point, right?¡± She pointed across the track. ¡°Look.¡±
A girl was walking on the inner lane of the track. Not jogging, walking. She was dark and slight and her eyes were fixed on Leo, who jogged past the girl without taking notice. In the girl¡¯s hand was a carton, and she sipped from it through a straw. That wasn¡¯t the oddest part about her, however: it was the fact that Ising seemed not to care that she was walking, drinking, and otherwise defeating the purpose of the exercise. Also, the sight of the girl¡¯s carton made Lumia¡¯s stomach rumble.
Slowly, Lumia pushed herself up and sat on her heels. A moment of panic crept up on her and her hand shot to her back. When she was satisfied that her shirt had not come undone, she resumed her panting. ¡°I¡¯ll¡ªkeep that in mind.¡±
Tock was right. She needed to slow down. During the run, when Lumia had seen that she was gradually falling behind, she had pushed herself beyond reason. It was clear she hadn¡¯t the constitution to keep up with her classmates, but she had figured if she only pushed a little harder, mind over matter, she could somehow keep up. Well, the somehow part happened to be the fracture point in her convoluted ideals.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Tock pinched her forearm. She let out a yelp and was about to tell Tock not to do that again, but the shorter girl only stared at her with her brows furrowed.
¡°You¡¯re really skinny,¡± Tock said.
¡°Oh, thank you.¡±
¡°That wasn¡¯t a compliment. You need to put on some muscle.¡±
¡°Oh.¡±
That was the first time in Lumia¡¯s life that she had been told to gain weight. Typically, women were expected to be women, and men were to be the warriors. But that was in Glassfall. This was Plato, and everything Lumia had once come to know as normal may as well have been glass, and Plato the sledgehammer.
Tock went on. ¡°It¡¯s not healthy to be this thin. Eat more. Train harder. Get smarter.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Or something. I¡¯m not the person you should be getting advice from.¡±
Lumia dipped her head. ¡°My apologies. I¡¯m still growing accustomed to life on Plato.¡±
¡°No, no, I didn¡¯t mean it like that,¡± Tock cried, waving her hands before her. She likely sensed Lumia¡¯s distress. ¡°Thing is, if you¡¯re stronger, everything gets easier. You don¡¯t have to struggle to do every little thing. Or, like,¡± Tock twirled her curls with a finger. Then her eyes brightened and she leapt up. ¡°You have to walk to classes every day, right? Imagine how easy it¡¯ll be to do that if you can run a marathon. It¡¯ll be nothing!¡±
Two figures sprinted by at breakneck pace. It took a moment for Lumia to recognise them as Raphael and Morgan. Raphael was ahead by a body length, his longer legs carrying him lazily across the track. His gait was smooth, his form relaxed, and he was in his element. Morgan, on the other hand, had her eyes set hard on his back. She was pushing herself, Lumia could tell from how heavily she breathed. But she wasn¡¯t faltering.
Ignoring the passing runners, Tock grinned and thrust a finger at Lumia. ¡°Right! I know how to fix this problem. From today on, Tock is going to cheer you on when you exercise, so that you¡¯ll have the motivation to¡ªow!¡±
As the pack ran by, Leo swept an arm out and flicked Tock right in the forehead. Tock reeled back, rubbing her head, then whirled around to shout obscenities at him.
Leo smirked over his shoulder. ¡°Hurry up. Breakfast,¡± he panted.
¡°Shut up! This is more important,¡± Tock rebutted.
Just then, Ising trotted over with a frown crossing her face. Lumia tried to stand so as not to receive her ire¡ªif she remained collapsed on the ground, Ising would absolutely berate her. To her surprise, Ising motioned for her to stay down.
¡°What happened?¡± Ising addressed Tock.
Tock shrugged. ¡°She tripped. It happens.¡±
Nodding, Ising dismissed her. ¡°I¡¯ll take it from here.¡±
Lumia¡¯s eyes met Tock¡¯s for a moment. The shorter girl shared a wide-eyed look, as if to say, Good luck, or, She¡¯s so annoying. Lumia pursed her lips in agreement and then Tock left, catching up with a slow Alan positioned at the end of the running pack¡¯s long tail.
¡°Can you walk?¡± Ising asked. She seemed genuinely concerned now, as opposed to her harsh demeaner before.
Not wanting to betray Tock, she carried through with the lie. ¡°I think I¡¯ve injured an ankle.¡±
¡°Then you shouldn¡¯t be sitting on it.¡±
Idiot! Lumia thought. As though injured, Lumia doggedly dragged her right leg out from under her. Thank you, Tock. What an awkward situation you¡¯ve placed me in.
Ising motioned to help her up, but Lumia waved her away. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. I can keep moving.¡±
She tried to push herself up, but she was far too fatigued. Every motion took a great effort, and all she wanted to do was enjoy the cool surface of the track, even if the dimples along its surface were biting into her legs.
Ising shook her head. ¡°If you can¡¯t do it, then you can¡¯t do it. I¡¯ll carry you off the track so you can rest.¡±
¡°Sorry,¡± Lumia said meekly. There was nothing Ising could have said that would have galled her more.
Morgan and Raphael rushed past again. Raphael had gained a few more metres. Seeing this, Ising took a whistle that hung from her neck and blew an ear-piercing warning.
¡°You two!¡± she bellowed, looking at the leaders. ¡°Pace yourselves. You¡¯ll be worn out for class if you run too quickly.¡±
Chapter 20 - The need to eat wrests the body from the soul
Lumia
Everything ached. Lumia had been splayed on the cafeteria table for many minutes now. How many? Too many! Her stomach was growling so violently she was certain it would grow teeth and eat the school whole.
Getting here had been a struggle. She¡¯d been carried by Raphael and, to her surprise, Morgan. That was after they¡¯d carried Lumia to her room and dumped on the floor. She¡¯d then had to peel off her clothes, letting out enough groans and whines that if she were a tower everyone around her would flee in anticipation that she¡¯d collapse, then dragged herself into the shower.
After that came putting on her uniform. Oh, what a disaster that was! The moment she tried to bend her legs, the cramping transmuted into agony. After a number of failed attempts to get her bottoms on, she''d had the brilliant idea to say aloud, ¡°I wish I had four hands.¡± That had summoned the exohelper. The horrible little gremlin had snuck up silently on Lumia. She¡¯d screamed so loud she¡¯d thought the building would topple. After an ill-conceived attempt to drag herself across the floor to escape, the exohelper began stuffing her limbs into clothes holes. That wasn¡¯t half so bad once she¡¯d calmed down, but when the robot had grabbed her legs with its four-pronged pincer hands and yanked them, Lumia issued another wave of screams.
After that ordeal, she hadn¡¯t the time to brush her hair. At this point she was beyond caring. Her uniform was a complete mess: her dark grey skirt was more creased than pleated, her blouse had picked up half the fibres from her room¡¯s carpet, and she¡¯d connected the magnetic buttons of her blazer incorrectly so that it bunched in the middle. She decided to deal with it after she¡¯d eaten.
As though her thoughts had summoned them, Class Euripides arrived with six trays between them. Energy sparked in Lumia and she shot up straight, eyeing the tray with her mouth watering.
¡°And yet she told me off,¡± Morgan shrieked, loud enough for half the cafeteria to hear. ¡°Me! I was not even talking.¡±
¡°That was unfair,¡± Raphael agreed, taking a seat at the far corner of the table, on the opposite side to Lumia.
¡°She had it out for us, definitely,¡± said Alan. He plonked himself directly opposite Lumia. He placed his tray down gingerly, then tapped one of the corners to spin it so that it lined up perfectly with the edge of the table.
¡°I swear,¡± said Morgan, ¡°if she does that again I will be going straight to the Educators.¡±
Morgan placed herself beside Lumia, while Leo hooked around the table and sat on the other side of the her, placing Lumia between himself and Morgan. The black-haired girl didn¡¯t so much as glance Lumia¡¯s way. Under any other circumstance, Lumia would have felt awkward, but now she only had eyes for the spare tray in Tock¡¯s hand.
¡°Sorry for taking so long,¡± Tock said to Lumia.
¡°Oh, it¡¯s no problem,¡± she replied in a rush. The sooner formalities were out the way, the sooner she could eat. Except Tock still held onto the tray, scowling at it.
¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not my fault. There was an argument about what we should get you.¡±
¡°As I explained to you,¡± Morgan chimed in, clicking together a pair of chopsticks to emphasise her point, ¡°if she eats something too heavy now, she will get sick later. When it comes to nutrition, there is nobody in this school more knowledgeable than I.¡±
Raphael glanced at her without expression, then went back to his meal: a healthy portion of everything.
Tock huffed and practically slapped Lumia¡¯s tray onto the table, sending the contents dancing around on the tray for a heart-stopping moment. Lumia let out a sigh of relief when everything settled into place without spilling.
¡°Well, enjoy your boring steamed vegetables,¡± Tock spat, then lumped herself down next to Alan.
There was nothing boring about what lay before Lumia. Reds and oranges and greens and whites were piled high, all separated into their own colour-coded clumps, and rested on a mountain of white rice. Lumia couldn¡¯t remember the names of any of the vegetables, but they smelled so sweet, and each flavour mingled together so as to wake her from her lethargy. Mechanically, she snatched up the pair of chopsticks beside the bowl and started scooping. Every mouthful was bliss.
¡°If I were you,¡± Leo said softly, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t bother complaining to the Educators.¡±
Morgan paused to swallow her food. ¡°And why is that?¡± she intoned.
¡°They¡¯re going to take Ising¡¯s side. We¡¯re new here, and she was in charge of our class. Besides, some of the Educators are looking for excuses to punish us.¡±
Morgan opened her mouth to speak then closed it again. She toyed with her food for a bit¡ªroot vegetables in a thick brown broth, which despite being so plain looked thick, hearty, and filling. Morgan growled, ¡°Maybe some people are fine with accumulating demerits, but I am not.¡±
¡°Demerits aren¡¯t that bad,¡± Tock chuckled. All heads turned to her, except for Lumia who was completely engrossed in her meal. ¡°They¡¯re more to stop you from getting credits, so you can¡¯t go buying anything for entertainment. It¡¯s supposed to keep you focused on your work and nothing else. But where they really become a pain is when you get in big trouble. It¡¯s like,¡± she stabbed at her plate, which housed stacks of orange innards and pastry, piled high and topped with melted cheese. Lumia¡¯s ears perked up. She wanted to absorb as much information as possible, so as best to learn the ins and outs of school life.
¡°So, say you failed a test. If you have no demerits, the Educators won¡¯t care too much. They¡¯ll give you a lecture and tell you to try again. But if you have a heap of demerits¡±¡ªshe slammed her chopsticks into her food with a wicked grin, causing everyone at the table to jump. ¡°You can get expelled straight away.¡±
Morgan swallowed. ¡°Have you seen that happen? A student getting expelled after failing a single test, on account of demerits? Outside of King¡¯s College, of course,¡± she clarified. The school¡¯s reputation was yet to be put to the test, so they had all assumed it to be the case that any failure would lead to expulsion.
¡°Yup! Our last secondary school, United, is the largest in Plato. You get all types there. Thing is, the demerits aren¡¯t there to punish you, but more to tell Educators how to think about punishing you.¡±
¡°Stop covering it up,¡± said Alan tartly. ¡°You also had a bunch of demerits.¡±
Tock¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°So did you! Your uniform was always a mess.¡±
¡°Yeah, but I had way less than you. I didn¡¯t repeatedly refuse to cut my hair.¡±
Perhaps wishing to derail the argument, Raphael cleared his throat and spoke up. ¡°Lumia, this is your first time eating most of those vegetables. What do you think of¡ªoh.¡±
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Lumia shovelled a fluffy green thing¡ªbroccoli, she believed¡ªinto her mouth, chewed a couple times, then swallowed. She¡¯d been eating so rapidly that she was struggling for air. When she glanced up to answer Raphael, huffing as though she was back on the running track, realisation struck her like a club.
Not only Raphael, but her entire class was gaping at her. Perhaps staring at her in complete shock, or disgust even. Lumia didn¡¯t know what to do or say. She¡¯d never embarrassed herself like that before.
Is there food on my face? she panicked. I can¡¯t feel anything, but there might be and I haven¡¯t realised it. How can I check without making it obvious?
¡°Wow, she¡¯s just vacuuming it up,¡± Tock said.
¡°Yeah, it¡¯s kind of gross,¡± Alan added, which earned him a sharp jab in the side from Tock.
Her heart sinking, Lumia dropped her chopsticks and bowed her head. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I¡¯m so so so so so sorry. I don¡¯t know what came over me. I¡¯m so ashamed of myself. I¡ª¡±
¡°Yes, we understand,¡± said Morgan, who was glaring at her bowl and stirring the broth with a spoon.
Lumia¡¯s shoulders hunched up. She was expecting another lecture from her, but surprisingly it never arrived.
¡°It is your first day of school, after all, and you had a pretty hard time during morning training. As such, you should eat as much as you need. Just try not to overdo it and,¡± Morgan grimaced, ¡°try to slow down a little.¡±
Her mouth twisting in a wry smile, Lumia put her head down and resumed her meal, this time with more etiquette. It still tasted as amazing as when she had been scoffing it down, but now the flavours no longer exploded together in her mouth by virtue of Lumia not stuffing them all in at once. Maybe next time she would try mixing all the ingredients together before eating. Either way, she was both mortified yet grateful. That whole event could have been far more embarrassing for her.
¡°We might want to hurry up,¡± Leo said, checking his meus. ¡°We need to be at the Elizabeth Theatre in less than twenty minutes.¡±
¡°We¡¯re the guests of honour,¡± Raphael said with a hint of bitterness in his voice.
Everyone went quiet at that. Even Lumia paused her meal, now feeling a little queasy. The first day of school was going to involve a ceremony of sorts. Every student was to be seated in one of the many halls and open spaces that King¡¯s College sported and would¡ actually, Lumia wasn¡¯t too sure what they were supposed to do. All she had been told was that Class Euripides would not be in the crowd, but on stage.
She recalled that terrible memory which had leapt onto her during yesterday¡¯s test, where she and her sister were made to witness a man being¡ªDon¡¯t think it; it¡¯ll only make you miserable. Either way, Lumia did not like being singled out, made to watch. In her experience, the person alone was the person most vulnerable.
Alan leaned in and broke the silence. ¡°Hey, did anyone else notice that everyone¡¯s staring at us?¡±
Maybe it was because she was so hungry or fatigued, but for the first time that morning Lumia took a proper look at the cafeteria. There were dozens of evenly spaced tables and assigned chairs, divided up by indoor plants that created natural screens between tables. Students seated at any table could only see a few of the other tables, the rest cut off from sight. From every point in the cafeteria, one could make out the school¡¯s emblem plastered high and proud on one of the walls. Along one side of the room was a series of clear chest-high screens where food was served from. To Lumia¡¯s complete astonishment, there were no people behind the screens. Rather, the kitchens and stalls were manned entirely by robotic arms that worked with unnerving efficiency.
Despite the limited lines of sight between cafeteria tables, the students that could see them were passing glances over at Class Euripides. Lumia¡¯s self-conscious heart leapt to the conclusion that they were staring at her due to her embarrassing display, but upon a second look she noticed that most eyes were spread evenly between herself and Morgan, while the rest passed over the remaining members of Class Euripides.
Lumia put her chopsticks down, leaned in, and whispered, ¡°Did we do something wrong?¡± And by ¡°we¡± she meant ¡°I¡±.
Leo huffed dismissively. ¡°They¡¯re sizing up the competition.¡±
¡°That¡¯s a lot of attention, though,¡± said Alan. ¡°Like, is that normal?¡±
¡°We¡¯ve only been in that class for a day,¡± said Tock, phrasing the stand-in for Class Euripides like some filthy secret.
Leo pointed his chopsticks at Tock. ¡°Exactly.¡±
Frowning into his tray, Raphael spoke, ¡°Because they¡¯re taking an interest in the honours class, right?¡±
¡°Nope!¡± Leo swept the chopsticks across the room, addressing the school. ¡°Think of it like this: there¡¯s a slice of delicious cake sitting on the table, and hundreds of people all want it. Now, realistically, only a few people will be able to share it between themselves. Spread it any further and it becomes pointless to eat it. You¡¯ll be eating crumbs, and since there¡¯s so little you¡¯re not going to get any of the flavour.¡±
¡°So only a few people can eat,¡± Lumia chimed in. She was mesmerised by the prospect of this cake. ¡°Or perhaps a single person will want to take it all for themselves.¡±
Leo poked his chopsticks at her. ¡°Exactly. Let¡¯s say that someone¡ªthe Principal, maybe, was going to give away this cake. The Principal doesn¡¯t explain how or why they¡¯re giving the cake away, just that they are. Then they explain that only a limited number of people will be able to have it, but the exact number is unknown. What would people do?¡±
Tock raised her hand, then answered without waiting to be called. ¡°Everyone will try to figure out how to win the cake and do what¡¯s needed to win. But since they don¡¯t know how many people will win, they¡¯ll probably step over each other to get it.¡±
¡°Right,¡± said Leo. He planted his chopsticks into his bowl of plain white rice with a minimum helping of vegetables. ¡°But let¡¯s say you guess the reasons incorrectly. What happens then?¡±
Tock raised her hand again. ¡°You look like an idiot!¡± Everyone chuckled at her response, which produced a broad smile from Tock.
¡°That¡¯s one way to look at it. But another way is that, seeing their ways don¡¯t work, those people will feel cheated. They¡¯ve spent all of this time and effort to get their cake and got nothing instead. So let¡¯s spice this up. Say that, before the cake is handed out, the Principal puts up a list of the most likely candidates and you¡¯re not on it. What then?¡±
¡°Then the natural response,¡± Raphael spoke, looking up from his meal, ¡°is to get rid of the most likely candidates for receiving the cake.¡±
¡°And that¡¯s the logic,¡± said Leo with a mischievous grin.
Alan¡¯s eyes darted back and forth between Raphael and Leo. He¡¯d abandoned his meal, which was oddly divided into colour-coded quarters. Only three quarters of each partition had been eaten. He leaned in and spoke in a murmur. ¡°Wait, are you saying that they¡¯ll try to hurt us or something?¡±
Leo shook his head, then picked up his chopsticks and scooped up some fluffy rice. ¡°Nah. Most likely they¡¯ll just try to make us look bad. Spreading rumours, finding flaws in our methods, or just bullying us into leaving the school. Anything to give them a chance to eat their precious cake.¡±
¡°But why? What¡¯s the connection with cake?¡±
¡°Resources. Attention. Praise. Rank.¡± Leo shrugged. ¡°We get extra classes in Euripides, so we get more opportunities for earning a higher rank come the end of the semester. I guess a lot of that could be avoided by keeping scores private, but¡¡± he picked up his chopsticks and flipped rice around in his bowl. ¡°They think people won¡¯t try as hard without a bit of spite and jealousy.¡±
Intrigued, Lumia watched Leo. He always presented himself as approachable, but when Lumia really looked into his eyes, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a hint of bitterness, as though whatever light had once shone within them had been snuffed out, leaving only embers.
She¡¯d sensed this before, when he was panicking before the first test. It was as plain as a bullet wound that he was hurting, but from what, she had no clue. From that context, his actions last night, striking out at Morgan, made a lot of sense. He was in pain and lashing out like a cornered animal. Lumia only wished he would open up about his problems so that she wouldn¡¯t have to see that deadness in his eyes.
But who am I to question other people¡¯s problems?
She watched him shovel food into his mouth with little expression, like his arm had transformed into one of the robotic arms that served at the kitchen¡ªbeings who would never know the taste of the food they made. People were supposed to be happy when they ate.
¡°What would you do if you were offered the cake?¡± Lumia asked quietly.
Leo¡¯s chopsticks froze in place. He drilled the bowl with an intense stare. ¡°I don¡¯t like sweets,¡± he growled, then he resumed his meal.
Tock sighed. ¡°I wonder if I¡¯ll ever get used to this kind of attention.¡±
Morgan had been surprisingly quiet during their conversation, stirring her broth around and again until it had become tepid. Without looking up, she spoke, ¡°You won¡¯t. It never gets easier.¡±
She put down her chopsticks and stood abruptly. ¡°Now if you will all excuse me, I need to use the bathroom. No need to wait for me.¡±
With that she left, abandoning half her meal. Lumia had a mind to try out her leftovers but she figured that would be far too impolite.
Chapter 21 - Always, you come back to my voice
Lumia
¡°Welcome, students, old and new, to the first school assembly of year 311, Semester One.¡±
The Principal stood proud and tall before the podium, her gravelly voice echoing through the theatre, amplified by the overhead speakers. She didn¡¯t need those speakers to be heard, but it ensured that, should the rustling and coughing of the audience rise to challenge her, she would always be loudest. Class Euripides remained seated behind her high up on the stage. Where every student in King¡¯s College could see them.
To Lumia¡¯s distress, it was the same theatre as the one that their test had been conducted in. Educators stood guard between the divided columns of seated students, hushing anyone who spoke or snapping fingers at anyone who appeared somewhat disinterested. It was as though the Principal, using the Educators as her club, had felt it necessary to impress her position on the students, reminding them that they would always be under her watchful eye, that not only their actions but their very thoughts were under regulation.
The Principal laid out a reverie of school policies and ideals, from good conduct in class, to expected test scores, to a lengthy diatribe about their discipline system. It was a dry speech, and Lumia¡¯s thoughts wandered aimlessly. Mostly, that wandering was a deterrent to realising that everyone was watching her.
I guess I¡¯d never considered it before, but in Plato, you¡¯re trapped in school until you pass all your tests. That didn¡¯t help.
Her mind turned to poetry. She juggled rhymes and metres in her head, played with words like they were water. A dreamy smile stretched onto her face, which if anyone in the crowd saw they may have mistaken for pride or eagerness.
Lumia just wanted it to end. It helped a lot for her nervousness that it seemed every other student felt the same.
Many students within the crowd appeared to be nodding off: drooping eyes, slouching in chairs, a tide of black-uniformed sleep being fought back by the Educators¡¯ persistent prods. But sleep even seemed to be taking the Educators. Their eyes were puffy and, as the dreary list of principles and penalties lulled on, they too would let out the occasional stifled yawn.
She risked a glance sideways to see what her familia were doing. Morgan sat erect and proud. Her arms were crossed and, though the crowd would not have seen it since Morgan hid her hand under an elbow, Lumia could see clearly from her angle that Morgan was pinching her ribs hard. Tock¡¯s face was blank but her legs trembled violently. Alan toyed with his pocket¡ªmost likely where his meus was. He was slouching so hard in his chair that Lumia worried his back would stay bent like that. Raphael sat at a perfect ninety-degree angle with his hands balled into fists on his knees. Sweat dripped down his forehead. And Leo was shaking. No, not shaking, but stifling a laugh.
Oh no, Lumia thought. Is he planning to be a fool today?
¡°And now,¡± the Principal said, raising her voice to snap the room to attention, ¡°I present your new Class Euripides.¡± She swept a hand towards the six students seated behind her.
Lumia¡¯s back stiffened and a rigid smile cemented itself onto her face. Every eye was properly on her now, which made her feel exposed, naked to their judgements and ire. Beside her, Morgan¡¯s face drained of blood, but other than that there were no visible signs of distress. The others perked up slightly, either from nervousness or having their interests peaked after being addressed.
The Principal continued without so much as looking at them. ¡°These six students will be the guiding beacon of King¡¯s College. Should they complete their tenure without a hitch, they will go on to become the brightest stars in all of Plato. All of you will do well to follow their example, as once they push their way through their gruelling classes, you will all seem dull compared to them.¡±
The Principal continued her babble, and Lumia forced her thoughts elsewhere. The room was divided by age. At the front were the oldest students, identified by their height and maturing features. At the back, Lumia recognised some of the students she¡¯d seen during the test. She paid close attention their expressions: jealousy, spite, and the hot flickers of hatred. In particular, the students at the front held the greatest resentment. The oldest ones, the ones who had worked hardest to remain in this school and were denied time and again a tenure in Class Euripides, they were the ones most jealous. As Leo had put it, they felt like they deserved their cake, but instead had to watch as Lumia and her classmates gobbled it up in front of them.
It was odd. Wasn¡¯t the intent of parading one¡¯s achievements to encourage others to live up to such ideals? Sure, it might seem pompous, but also not something that would draw ire to those on parade. Rather, people¡¯s frustrations ought to have been aimed at those forcing them to sit through such a monotonous event. Lumia would have expected that the students would have at least felt bored or condescending. But outright hatred of Class Euripides? Leo¡¯s slice-of-cake theory held merit.
Lumia came to a conclusion. On top of making us a target, would it not also make us fight harder? Should we remain without a worry of what¡¯s behind us, we¡¯ll forget our place and become all the more slacker. The Principal¡¯s plan is devious, callous, but shall succeed in making us shine brighter.
The Principal adjusted her glasses and, though it might have been Lumia¡¯s imagination, the room felt a little colder. ¡°However, should the students of Class Euripides fail any of their tests, fail to turn in an assignment, or otherwise act in a way that does not live up to the ideals of King¡¯s College, then their class will be terminated. And all of them will be expelled.¡±
Lumia¡¯s smile slipped completely. It was hard to breathe, like a rope had been tied around her neck. Her head whipped around to her classmates¡ªthey looked just as terrified. Morgan was outright trembling. Tock buried her head in her hands and her bob of hair jiggled nervously. Alan was now sitting up, alert, and Raphael breathed rapidly, his chest heaving. Only Leo seemed calm. Too calm. He was grinning like he¡¯d just heard a wonderful story. Perhaps he had. Perhaps in some twisted way, he wanted this.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Why do this to us? Lumia reasoned, biting her lower lip. This isn¡¯t a push. It¡¯s not encouragement. It¡¯s a threat. It¡¯s¡ªher eyes bulged as understanding weighed on her¡ªthis is persecution. Oh, you demon. You¡¯re not satisfied with gold and instead demand a diamond? But the pressure needed to make such precious jewels may shatter them.
¡°Now, we¡¯ll have a member of Class Euripides give a prepared speech,¡± the Principal stated. Without ceremony, she vacated the podium, leaving it for one of Lumia¡¯s group.
Eyes darted frantically between the members of Class Euripides. Nobody had a planned speech. They hadn¡¯t been told to prepare one! Accusatory stares whipped left and right as the class tried to vote for their speaker via stare counts. They all quickly landed on Morgan. Panicking, the black-haired girl sought out another potential victim, except that everyone beside Leo had fixed their stare directly on her. Even Lumia had participated in the vote, though she felt a touch of guilt for it. Morgan was good at making spontaneous speeches. It was only normal to have her show her worth after she¡¯d recited such a beautiful, improvised speech during the first test.
Sighing, Morgan motioned to stand. But before she could, Leo was already up. Class Euripides watched him saunter across the stage, their jaws hanging slack. Unlike the rest of the class, he was completely calm, as though unfazed by being put on the spot so suddenly.
Like he knew this would happen.
Morgan settled into her chair and leaned forward, tense. The Principal was standing off to the side by a shadowy wall. Her lopsided mouth jerked up on one side in what Lumia thought might have been a sneer. Lumia waited with her heart racing, fully expecting something ridiculous. She hadn¡¯t forgotten that Leo was a loose joint. Forcing a smile onto her face, Lumia did her best to act confident.
Leo approached the microphone with an air of certainty, as though the stage belonged to him. He adjusted the microphone higher and tapped on it, sending a crackling thump across the room. As the students winced from the sudden noise, Lumia caught him slip his meus onto the podium. Then the speakers started humming.
The hum grew louder and louder until it peaked and popped. Students and Educators covered their ears, cries sounded out from the audience, which were drowned out as the humming grew louder and turned into a screech.
Leo appeared panicked and adjusted the microphone. The Principal stepped forward with a deep scowl on her face. With his elbow, Leo swiped his meus off the terminal, caught it with his other hand, then pocketed it. As soon as his meus was gone, the sound disappeared. The Principal stopped dead in her tracks.
¡°Sorry,¡± said Leo into the microphone. ¡°I must have bumped something.¡± He chuckled and the room broke out into excited conversation. He turned to the Principal. ¡°Sorry, sorry. Let¡¯s continue with the speech. Come on, everyone, let¡¯s continue.¡±
As the speakers were directed away from the stage, Class Euripides as well as the Principal were saved from the worst of the noise. But Lumia could see quite clearly that Leo was enjoying himself. Sure, he was pretending to be flustered, but the corners of his eyes were crinkled with amusement.
The Principal stared out at the crowd, turned back to Leo, then nodded somewhat awkwardly. She then slinked back into the corner with a scowl. Lumia understood what the Principal was feeling, though she had never felt that way herself. The stage had been wrestled from her and now she was no longer in control. Her attempt to step in was thwarted by Leo who, after manufacturing the problem, solved everything on his own. Her position had been rendered irrelevant. For those who prided themselves on their place, nothing could be more galling.
Gradually, the Educators hushed the class into obedience. When all was silent, Leo cleared his throat.
¡°Good morning, Students of King¡¯s College.¡± He neglected to address the faculty. ¡°I think in situations like this, it¡¯s best to tell the truth. I didn¡¯t prepare a speech. None of us did. Because we weren¡¯t asked to. Thank you.¡± Then he dipped his head to the audience, turned, and strolled back to his chair.
Titters rose from the crowd. Whether they were laughing at his joke or expressing their satisfaction at seeing Class Euripides flounder, Lumia didn¡¯t know. Morgan made a choking noise as her jaw dropped to the floor. She¡¯d paled so much that Lumia worried she might pass out from a lack of blood to the head. Bullets of sweat ran down Raphael¡¯s face, and his whole body was trembling. Tock buried her head in her hands. Alan had taken his meus from his pocket and rhythmically turned the screen on and off. Lumia herself made a conscious effort not to let her smile slip. The last thing she needed was for people to see just how mortified she was by all of this. Her blushing did not help.
What is Leo thinking? Has his mind gone slack? All he has done is paint a target on our back. By attacking the Educators he¡¯s made them our rivals. Now if the students want to bring us low, we¡¯ll have no aid in our survival.
She leaned over to observe Leo, and just as she expected, he was stifling a grin. Either he did not understand what he had done, or he understood perfectly that he had invited every student to try and tear them from their throne and was proud for doing so. Every student of King¡¯s College would return to their cliques and form a similar conclusion within the day: that Class Euripides was a cornucopia of fools, fragile, easy to pluck, an outlet for all of their grievances.
From the side of the stage, the Principal stomped forward. Her footfalls were usually heavy, but now they practically boomed over the excited hum of conversation that had engulfed the theatre. She sneered at Leo, then turned to the microphone.
¡°Enough!¡± the Principal bellowed. The room immediately went silent. Every student watched her intently. Those at the front were completely rigid, while the students at the back, the newest students, seemed confused by the sudden onset of quiet. They were yet to know their place, it seemed. When the Principal was satisfied, she continued.
¡°I think it goes without saying that any Platonian who wants to lead the world to a brighter future should take the initiative. If someone has to tell you what to do, then how will you learn, how will you discover, how will you innovate? We must be willing to act in the face of the unknown, not cower behind excuses and blame. Otherwise, we will never grow, nor change, nor overcome the challenges that face us.
¡°The shadow of the world¡¯s end looms over all of us. To ward off the destruction of mankind, Plato must shine brighter than ever.¡±
Lumia was rather stunned by this speech. Opposed to the Principal¡¯s harsh demeaner, it was a strong message of hope. For something so positive to be spoken by a woman so cold¡
Maybe I¡¯ve misjudged her, she wavered.
Morgan seemed to think the same. She bared a smug grin Leo¡¯s way, as if to say, the Principal is right and you¡¯re just a fool. Leo glanced at her, furrowed his brows, then looked away.
The students were attentive to the Principal. As the middle-aged woman laid out her desires for the future, they soaked in every word. She was a brilliant orator. It was clear that she had taken control of the situation, and with every word, with every intention and desire electrified to life, Leo, and all of Class Euripides by extension, looked the fool.
Lumia did the only thing she could do and kept on smiling. There was no point in drawing the students¡¯ ire any further, and a smile never upset anyone. She hoped.
Chapter 22 - Always, you find yourself at the fall
Lumia
The sun was shining.
That wasn¡¯t something Lumia got to say very often, as the world below Plato was always covered in shadows. She knew the numbers: 1,623 parts per million carbon dioxide, measured this morning, which had resulted in an average temperate increase of 8.14 degrees Celsius. However, numbers could never capture the sheer dreariness of a world without sunlight. Nor could pixels capture the beauty of a sun-kissed sky.
King¡¯s College had a spacious yard nestled between its curved glass buildings. It was simple yet unbelievably dazzling. Grassy fields sloped down from its glassy confinements, rolling gently into a valley whose trough coalesced into a gravel path, all sloping and transforming so smoothly that the path was near hidden to the inattentive eye. The hills curved so perfectly that they seemed more natural than natural. Sunlight reflected off the buildings and dappled the field with a prismatic glow.
Dotting the hills were eleven fig trees. The enveloping warmth of Plato¡¯s artificial summer brought fat figs to bear. Though they looked tempting, the students did not pluck them. Rather, birds of vibrant colour and song flittered between their leaves, singing their thanks for the ripe and abundant meal. Benches were inconspicuously nestled within the hills. From one location Lumia would see a bench and the students that it harboured, but from another it was hidden, the students sequestered within the hills and their voices muffled by the landscape. Every slope and tree offered their own paradise, such that the many students that sat upon the grass or lounging under a tree were tucked away from the world.
And there at the end, where the yard came to rest, was a sight that left Lumia gasping at its majesty. The great floating city ended abruptly, the dome climbing suddenly from its edge and far into the heavens. Beyond the dome were the pristine greys, blues, and golds of a cloudy sky. It was right up against the safety barrier that Lumia stood, gazing out onto a blanket of heaven in complete awe.
It would have been wonderful if her friends could enjoy the scenery with her. Instead, they sat under the shade of a fig tree, arguing.
¡°You have to be the most irresponsible, reckless, childish idiot that I have ever met!¡± shrieked Morgan.
¡°Wow, that¡¯s a bit harsh,¡± Leo said dryly.
¡°Harsh? Do you want harsh? Then wait until the Principal decides to punish you. Wait until every student in school laughs in your face over how stupid you are!¡±
Leo waved a hand dismissively. ¡°Look, all I did was tell the truth. If they wanted us to prepare a speech, they should stop playing games and just say so.¡±
¡°Do you not understand our situation?¡± Morgan wailed. ¡°We are in Class Euripides. We should not have to be asked to prepare a speech.¡± She drew herself up and folded her arms. ¡°In fact, when we were told that we were going onto stage, I took the initiative and prepared one.¡±
The birds are so fascinating, Lumia¡¯s thoughts trailed off. There are so few on the surface. I would love to hold one and feel its feathers, or at least see one up close.
¡°Huh?¡± Tock chimed in. She was squatting at the base of the tree and sifted the dirt with a stick, gradually exposing one of the thick roots. ¡°But you looked just as confused as everyone else.¡±
Morgan¡¯s eyes popped wide. ¡°No, I¡ªI only wanted to see if anyone else had a speech prepared. Clearly that was not the case.¡±
I wonder how I can immortalise this moment. A poem to capture the beauty of King¡¯s College¡ªno, Plato. No, Earth itself!
¡°And what, let you bore the audience to death?¡± Leo said. ¡°At least my speech was interesting. None of that pointless, formal stuff.¡±
¡°Hey, that¡¯s not fair,¡± Alan snapped. He was slouching next to Leo on a bench, but now straightened up to speak. ¡°Raphael told us how good her speech was in the test. I mean, I didn¡¯t hear it because I was trapped, but he¡¯s not going to lie to us.¡±
Morgan nodded with a smirk. ¡°That is right. It was an inspiring speech. We would not have been able to pass if the students could not be convinced to work their hardest. Or would you have preferred that I leave everything to you?¡± She raised her eyebrows at Leo.
Perhaps a sonnet? No, too stuffy. Definitely not a haiku¡ªI have far too much to say! It must be free verse. How else can I express such natural majesty but with a form that flows just as naturally? Okay, maybe a rhyme or two. Let¡¯s keep some pairs together.
¡°Can we just let it go?¡± Tock said. ¡°I really don¡¯t want to think about it anymore.¡±
¡°No, we should not let it go,¡± Morgan snapped. ¡°There is no guarantee that Leo will not repeat this action in the future. His behaviour today was appalling¡ªdefinitely not the sort of attitude that a student of Class Euripides ought to be demonstrating.¡±
¡°Oh, that¡¯s grand coming from you,¡± Leo scoffed. ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one that threw a fit last night because of a joke?¡±
Climbing up the sunlit towers.
Perched upon a ledge, I see
Hills and valleys with¡ fruit¡ªno. Should it even be about food? Biological needs are too primitive a subject.
¡°Hey!¡± shouted Tock, leaping up. She circled around to stand in front of the bench and scowled at Leo. ¡°That¡¯s too much. You two might not like each other, but you don¡¯t need to argue over everything.¡±
Leo threw a hand in Morgan¡¯s direction. ¡°Then tell her. She started it!¡±
Tock glanced back at Morgan, but the normally stuffy girl was frowning at her feet with her arms folded tight across her stomach. Tock whipped back to Leo. ¡°Okay, I admit she was being a bit¡ whatever, last night. But that¡¯s still no reason to treat her like this.¡±
¡°I can¡¯t believe you said that,¡± Raphael muttered under his breath. In their isolated alcove under the shadow of the fig tree, there was little else to drown out his words. They could hear him clearly. ¡°You just painted a target on our backs. We¡¯re choked. We¡¯re all choked.¡±
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Ah, I think I have it! Lumia proclaimed. She mentally recited her completed poem.
Perched upon the sunlit tower.
Safe under the dome.
Valleys growing motley flower.
Furl my wings; I¡¯m home.
Lumia recited the poem once more and considered. Maybe that¡¯s a little too primitive. Oh, I know. I can write one about the students.
¡°We already had a target on our backs!¡± Leo shouted, now standing. ¡°So how about we be a bit more realistic. The Educators are going to make our lives hard no matter what we do, so instead of rolling over and letting everything choke to death, we can fight back.¡±
No, let¡¯s talk about the birds. Definitely the birds. Now maybe I can expand upon it by including more vivid imagery, such as¡ªhm?
A dull buzzing sound circled around Lumia. She followed the noise and saw a furry yellow insect hovering around her. It took her a moment to connect virtual images and written descriptions with the creature, but when it happened Lumia let out an excited gasp.
She had never seen a bee before! Most of the world¡¯s bee populations had gone extinct a century ago, their decline and disappearance coinciding with the progression of cloud cover and the decay of plant life. But this was a bee. An impossibly real bee.
Lumia wasn¡¯t sure how, but seeing its laboured flight and its slow, wobbly motions, she was convinced the bee wanted to rest. She felt connected to it, as though both were overwhelmed by the day to day of being themselves, working tirelessly in a world that expected so much of them.
Gingerly, Lumia raised her hand, palm down. The little insect hovered about her, then came to a rest on Lumia¡¯s hand. Her heart melted at the sight.
She must have been exhausted from a hard day¡¯s work, Lumia figured. A work which was necessary to keep her hive and all of Plato¡¯s flowers alive. She deserved a rest. Lumia smiled softly as the tiny creature flexed its wings and pulsed its¡ abdomen.
She had nearly forgotten; bees have stingers.
Stiffening up, Lumia¡¯s voice caught in her throat. She tried to look over her shoulder to see if her friends noticed her plight, but she didn¡¯t want to turn her head too much since it could scare the bee and make it sting. She didn¡¯t want to speak too loudly either because that might do much the same.
So she spoke softly, ¡°Help.¡± Her classmates kept arguing, completely oblivious. Lumia raised her voice, and squeaked, ¡°Help!¡±
The shouting stopped. Lumia checked her hand to ensure she hadn¡¯t startled the bee, and to her relief it was still patiently flexing its wings. Sighing, she cranked her head around to look at her friends. They all watched her with puzzled expressions.
Bee, Lumia mouthed. They didn¡¯t understand. She rotated her arm carefully so that they could see. ¡°There¡¯s a bee,¡± she whispered loudly.
A grin stretched across Tock¡¯s face. ¡°Oh, that doesn¡¯t surprise me!¡± she giggled. ¡°The bee thinks you smell sweet, like a flower. That means you¡¯ve been eating too much sugar.¡±
Lumia was too panicked to worry about Tock¡¯s little implication, so she pocketed that information away as another shameful reminder of how bad her eating habits had become. ¡°What do I do?¡±
¡°If you ignore it, it¡¯ll fly away,¡± Raphael answered calmly.
¡°But what if it stings me first?¡±
¡°You¡¯ll be fine. Besides, the pain is only temporary.¡±
Lumia glanced nervously at the bee, then back to her classmates. ¡°Are you sure?¡±
¡°Yes,¡± they answered in unison.
Taking a deep breath, Lumia relaxed and put her fears out of mind. It was, after all, a matter of the imagination. Plus, the consensus of her friends helped to forget how unpredictable the world was, along with all the dangers that it brought. If she considered the bee another creature doing its best to get by, just like her, she felt a sort of kinship with it. She had no reason to fear it.
Keeping her hand steady so as to accommodate her new friend, Lumia turned to watch the rolling clouds. It occurred to Lumia that her classmates had stopped arguing. Had her worries convinced them to put aside their problems? That gave her an idea.
¡°Can I ask you all something?¡± she said, peering over her shoulder. ¡°Can we not fight today? I know things have been tough since we¡¯re new to¡ this,¡± she said, inferring their place in Class Euripides. ¡°And believe me, I know all too well what it¡¯s like to be thrust into a situation that is both new and terrifying.¡±
She took a breath to slow the conversation down, to let them take in her words and connect with them. ¡°But we¡¯re going to be classmates¡ªno, a familia¡ªfor many years now. And I¡¯d like it to be years, not mere months. So can we forget our worries for today?¡±
Lumia spun quickly to face them front on, taking her bee friend in her flight. She beamed at her friends. ¡°So can we all just try to get along¡ª¡±
The gravel path beneath her feet trembled. A deep, long moan rumbled all around her, from the sky and the earth and all that was in between, like the dying breath of a whale. Then there was a deep, heart-thumping pulse. Her footing slipped. Lumia took a step to steady herself as the sound petered out. She spun to the Edge where she¡¯d felt the trembling was most severe. The bee flew from her hand.
The clouds had vanished, blasted away in mere moments by the city¡¯s weather modification systems. Lumia had to stare far into the distance, along the curvature of the planet, to see a hint of cloud. Slowly, her eyes shifted down. She wasn¡¯t sure she believed what lay beneath her.
A crater lay at an angle before them, close to perfectly round just as Plato was. From their altitude, it was tiny. Grey dots speckled the land around it: the vestiges of human civilisation, utilitarian structures arrayed neatly. Beyond the settlements, the land was dead, all ochres and sepias as far as the eye could see that clashed hard with the cobalt sea to the west.
Lumia stared at Earth mesmerised. Living amongst a ruined city had been one thing. When she looked up as a child, she would see crumbling towers. When she looked around, she saw an infinitude of refuse. It was easy to forget what the world had lost when you were buried in the filth of its remains. But from their place in the heavens, where one could see over the walls and peer across mountains, the destruction that had befallen their world, the mistakes of humankind, was all too apparent. It was overwhelming.
Morgan strode up beside Lumia and stared at the emptiness below. Then Tock, followed by Alan then Raphael. Leo hung back a little, but eventually joined them. They watched in mournful silence. They weren¡¯t the only ones.
Dozens of neat and black-garbed students emerged from their oases to line up along the barrier, to witness a truth that was hidden from them under clouded skies. Passing Educators paused their duties and joined their students, all humbled by a quintessence of the knowledge that they¡¯d dedicated their careers to bestowing on others.
Morgan was the first to break the silence. ¡°Hope. That is what the town was called long ago. It was the place where Plato was created, the vessel of the Ascension, and it stopped being that in 2187 CE when Plato lifted into the sky. It used to house humanity¡¯s greatest science and technology, but was long ago swallowed up by the California Desert.¡±
They all knew this information. It was one of the first facts that was drilled into students¡¯ heads when they began their tenure in the school system. It was one of the first morsels of knowledge that Lumia had been tested upon when she Ascended. However, nobody wanted to interrupt Morgan. For Lumia, it was almost necessary to hear it once more, to memorise this moral: fail, and the fate of Hope awaits the world.
¡°It used to be the Mojave Desert,¡± Tock added, her voice breaking slightly. ¡°But everything kept drying up and the plants all died off. It spread everywhere on the American West coast. We renamed it to remind ourselves what happens if we fail. Now, Hope and all the cities that didn¡¯t get buried underwater are dried up wastelands, with a few survivors hanging on for life each year. Every now and then, Plato touches ground with them to trade any resources they salvaged for food.¡±
Raphael shook his head. ¡°But there isn¡¯t much left to salvage. Our visits to this land are getting less frequent. Soon, we¡¯ll stop visiting them entirely and they¡¯ll have nothing left to eat.¡±
Forcing a smile on her face, Lumia turned to the others. ¡°Then let¡¯s not allow them to suffer. If we work our hardest, if we put our noses to the grinding wheel and study, we can make a difference. For all humankind.¡±
They stared back at her, stone-faced.
Chapter 23 - Your fingers plug your ears and you dream I鈥檓 just a dream
Lumia
She had lost her way. There were so many winding halls and curving corridors that it was easy for Lumia to get stranded in the wrong portion of the school, or walk past her designated building, or even land on the wrong floor¡ªthat one bothered her the most.
Though King¡¯s College appeared like a set of simple, if not over-architectured, somewhat-rectangular buildings, their internals were anything but simple. Some halls would draw gradually upwards until Lumia found herself surrounded by labs filled with terminals, while following a hall east¡ªor starboard, depending on who you spoke to¡ªsomehow landed her in the northern-most wing of the school.
After some fiddling around with her meus, and a few panicked messages from her confused classmates, Lumia was eventually guided to their classroom on the top floor, assuming one could tell the difference between floors in such a chaotic layout. It was their only classroom, apparently. From what she could gleam from their assigned schedules, they stayed in room Neutron-9 through most of the day.
Lumia slammed open the door, preparing an apology for her tardiness, only to find that their Educator hadn¡¯t arrived yet. Her classmates stared up at her confused, likely wondering why Lumia was so hurried. Thankfully, and to her complete intrigue, only Class Euripides was in this room. Embarrassed at her Her cheeks reddened, then Lumia planted herself at the nearest desk and set up her terminal before the Educator arrived.
She had expected there to be more students in this classroom just like during morning exercise, but it appeared they were being taught separately, isolated from the rest of the students. Perhaps that was normal. Either way, she was a disappointed. Lumia would have loved to speak to others and learn new perspectives on Plato and school life. Even so¡
This is so exciting! Lumia thought, propping the flat device up on its built-in stand. She was here, in a real classroom, wearing a real school uniform, sitting at a real desk. She¡¯d only ever read about school life back in her home, on the limited device that Plato had provided her for her education. Her walk down the path to Ascension began for her sister¡¯s sake¡ªand for her own comfort, she had to admit, as a life spent studying under the vengeful eye of the Crick was far better than one wasted labouring for her next meal. Still, it was wonderful to be here, as a real student, and not just daydreaming about it between four cracked and moulding walls, a cage for her studies so confined there was barely any room to sit.
Suppressing her grin so as not to look so goofy, she flipped open then adjusted her terminal¡ªa laptop, she¡¯d heard it called¡ªso that it sat straight, placed her meus beside it, straightened that, and opened the assigned textbook. Last night, Lumia had stayed up late playing with her laptop, testing its features. Giddy at a chance to employ her discoveries, she tapped open a textbook then reduced its window and dragged it to one side of a screen. She sorted through her folders, which Tock had helped her to set up and organise according to their class schedule, and created a new document for note-taking in one of them. She opened that and placed its window on the other side of her terminal¡¯s screen so that she could take notes while reading her textbook.
It was an act that any Platonian could achieve from the age of four, but that¡¯s what made it all the more exciting. She was a Platonian, now. Well, maybe she was being too hasty.
¡°Lumia, what are you doing?¡± asked Leo.
She spun, fixing a smile to her face, horrified by the possibility that she had unknowingly done something she ought not to. Rows of tables sloped up gently, presumably so that the students seated in back could see over the heads of those in front. Roughly in the middle of the room, the rest of Class Euripides sat in a cluster. They eyed Lumia curiously, like she had performed some outlandish deed. Lumia¡¯s cheeks went crimson.
¡°Come sit closer,¡± Leo chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s like you¡¯re in a different class all the way over there.¡±
¡°Of course, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll be there in a hurry,¡± she responded automatically.
Lumia turned back to her terminal and thought to snatch it right up and dash over there. However, would that not have been more embarrassing than remaining where she was? She¡¯d only just got comfortable and shifting positions now would require her to readjust herself, her terminal, her meus, and otherwise repeat a process which had been cathartic enough. Furthermore, Morgan was giving her a rather uncomfortable stare which provided Lumia all the more reason to stay exactly where she was.
Yet, she really wanted to sit with her classmates. In its own right, it was embarrassing being so isolated when everyone else was being social, including Morgan!
Oh, I¡¯ve been sitting taciturn for far too long. If I say nothing they¡¯ll think my head¡¯s all wrong.
Making a decision, Lumia reached for her terminal. Then the door slid open and she froze. Their Educator walked in, her heels clacking on the tiles. Lumia¡¯s hands snapped back into her lap.
¡°It¡¯s good to see you¡¯re on time, class,¡± the Educator spoke.
Lumia sat as straight as she could manage. She recognised their Educator immediately. Educator Rousseau had been one of the three who had monitored the first test. The leggy, beautiful blonde strode up to a sole desk at the front of the room as though it were as natural as breathing. Her hair was kept in a bun with, of all things, a fountain pen¡ªLumia had only seen a fountain pen in pictures and she had expected that¡¯s the only place she would find one, as ink had been abandoned long ago due to its wastefulness. With every step Educator Rousseau took, with every vague swish of her hand, with every sharp gaze that fell upon her starstruck students, there seemed a deeper purpose that Lumia could not begin to grasp. Had she been living in Glassfall, Lumia was certain that the Cricks would have gone to war over her, to possess her.
Though Lumia had been excited to attend a class for the first time, now that it had officially begun, she couldn¡¯t stop her hands from shaking. Was it just nerves, or perhaps fear that she would embarrass herself further, this time before such a gorgeous Educator? Or maybe she was simply uncomfortable being monitored so closely. Regardless, she planted her bottom in her chair and decided she would enjoy this awkward front-and-corner spot¡ªor at least act as though she did.
Educator Rousseau tapped on her terminal and the wall behind her ignited with colour, as though the wall itself was a screen, the school directly interfacing with the intranet. It displayed, what Lumia assumed, were the contents of Educator Rousseau¡¯s screen. The Educator tapped her terminal again and it brought up a lecture slide.
¡°In this class, we¡¯ll be studying ecology and the impact that Earth¡¯s decaying climate,¡± her lesson began. She fixed a blank stare on each of them, one at a time, then lowered her gaze, and looked up again. ¡°I just want to say that even if you fail and are expelled from this school, then I hope you take these lessons to heart. What you learn in this class will likely be impractical, maybe too elementary, for future studies, but it will help you understand exactly what challenge we face.¡± Her gaze grew firm, heated. ¡°Nothing will be held back in this class. You are all mature enough to learn just how desperate our fight is. So I will tell you everything, no matter how bleak it seems. This is your future as well as mine. Is that clear?¡±
In unison, Class Euripides recited, ¡°Yes, Educator Rousseau.¡± All except Lumia, of course, who whipped her head back in astonishment at hearing them chant.
When she turned to the front again, Educator Rousseau was drilling a gaze right into her. Lumia realised this was a custom she had just broken and responded in a hurry.
¡°Yes, Educator Rousseau.¡±
The Educator nodded. ¡°Turn to chapter fourteen-point-one. Today¡¯s class will be used to recap our existing knowledge on Earth¡¯s current ecosystems. Who recalls how much flora has disappeared from Earth since 1900 CE?¡±
Morgan raised her hand immediately. Educator Rousseau nodded her way and all eyes turned to her. The tanned girl stood stiffly with her hands pinned to her sides. Usually, Morgan showed faint traces of nervousness when others placed their attention on her, but today her eyes were wide and eager and she remained completely fixated on their mesmerising Educator. When she spoke, her pitch was a little high.
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¡°There are a few different estimates, Educator Rousseau, but the most commonly used is from the School of Ecology¡¯s XM-17 report, year 307 AA, which estimated a ninety-two percent loss of pre-Renewal plant life since 1900 CE.¡±
Educator Rousseau nodded. ¡°Correct. And does anyone know how much of Earth¡¯s stable ecology was replaced with destructive flora species?¡±
Morgan sat then raised her hand again. Lumia highly considered raising her own hand, since this seemed to be something that the Educator expected of them and she too knew the answer, but her nerves kept her hands in her lap. Educator Rousseau calmly nodded at Morgan, who stood again.
¡°Nine percent of the Earth¡¯s surface is covered by the invasive species known as venefinis, according to a joint report from the School of Ecology and the Guardian Threat Assessment Division. These species have been shown to destabilise the soil and air wherever they grow. If a venefinis culture can be spotted in any land, then it is likely that all complex lifeforms not compatible with it will have been virtually pushed out.¡±
¡°Not ¡®virtually¡¯,¡± Educator Rousseau stated. ¡°Nor ¡®pushed out¡¯. The ecosystem that venefinis creates for itself is toxic to most other life forms. That species will be dead or dying.¡±
Morgan nodded her acceptance of the correction and sat. Educator Rousseau continued.
¡°Then, Lumia,¡± she said, nodding the nervous girl¡¯s way. Lumia perked up and a smile split her face. ¡°Since you¡¯re sitting alone, I imagine you¡¯re more focused on your studies. Can you tell us what caused the growth of venefinis?¡±
Licking her lips, Lumia stood so abruptly that she knocked her chair into the elevated desk behind her. Alan stifled a laugh, which caught him a sharp glare from Educator Rousseau. He blushed and apologised, which caught him a jab in one side from Tock and one in the other from Leo.
Lumia bowed low, then wanted to slap herself when she remembered that bowing was not customary in Plato. Now feeling like a complete fool, she snapped up straight and said in a rush, ¡°We did, Educator.¡± Realising how stupid she sounded, she cleared her throat and tried again. ¡°Humanity was desperate for a replacement to the world¡¯s rapidly dying plant life, so a plan was hatched to create a species of flora that would survive the ensuing ecological collapse. This is referred to as the Renewal. That plan both succeeded and failed. Venefinis is hardy and adaptable, but it was partly responsible for the collapse of Earth¡¯s remaining ecosystems.¡±
Educator Rousseau gave Lumia one of her sagely nods, which the embarrassed girl took as a sign to be seated. She plonked herself back in her chair and tried to think of anything that would prevent her cheeks from burning.
¡°Lumia! Stop being a venefinis and join your classmates,¡± Leo cried.
¡°Ah, coming,¡± Lumia squeaked, scraping up her things.
Now that the Educator was gone and they were between classes, this was the perfect opportunity for Lumia to engage in a social manner with her classmates. She scurried up three rows then sidled in next to Raphael. Beside him was Morgan, and in the next row up were Leo, Alan, and Tock. Lumia¡¯s possessions cluttered back onto the table and she never managed to align them as neatly as before.
¡°Sorry,¡± Lumia whimpered. ¡°I was going to join you¡ªI wasn¡¯t thinking to neglect¡ªbut then the Educator showed up and to move would have been incorrect.¡±
¡°Aw, why¡¯d you bring the venefinis here,¡± Tock chuckled. ¡°Now she¡¯s going to eat us all.¡±
¡°That is absurd,¡± Morgan butted in, folding her arms. ¡°Plants do not eat living creatures, not even venefinis. Even carnivorous plants do not technically eat, but rather digest their prey.¡±
¡°But the insects do,¡± Raphael added, then shrugged. ¡°Well, it¡¯s more like the insects that live in venefinis cultures eat everything. Then they feed the nutrients back to the venefinis, in exchange for maintaining the ecosystem that a venefinis creates.¡±
¡°Can we talk about anything but human-eating plants,¡± Alan growled.
¡°For the last time,¡± Morgan growled, ¡°they do not eat people.¡±
Just at that moment, the door slid open and their next Educator walked in. Well, ¡°walked¡± did not describe it properly. It was more like the Educator exuded in, dragging his feet one laborious step at a time, until he was standing before the Educator¡¯s desk. He plonked down a thick flat terminal¡ªa tablet, was what they called this model¡ªthen cracked open a drink canister. Bitter fumes tingled Lumia¡¯s nose. The Educator drank long and greedily from the canister, and Lumia cocked an eyebrow wondering what exactly would make a man imbibe himself as though he was dying of thirst.
Raphael must have spotted her perplexity because he leaned in and whispered, ¡°Coffee. Mild stimulant. Waste of agricultural resources. Distributed sparsely.¡±
Lumia nodded her thanks. The Educator put his canister down, picked up his terminal, and then his brows knitted.
¡°This is a math class. You¡¯re here to learn. Split.¡±
The students exchanged a look before standing. Lumia, feeling like a complete fool, hopped back to her original seat in the front corner. If she had just stayed there, she would not have been reprimanded!
That¡¯s what I get for trying to be social. Oh, but I can¡¯t not be nice at all. Either way I¡¯m a fool.
She had recognised this Educator the moment he had walked in. Deep set tired eyes, light stubble around the chin, short messy hair, a shirt that looked like it had been slept in, and a look that said that he could not wait for the world to end. Educator Arthur. The one who had led the first test. The one who had drilled Lumia for every scrap of information on her past, her life under the Crick, and her sister in the interview following the test.
The other students seemed to share Lumia¡¯s sentiments. Morgan appeared bitter, sulky even. Leo refused to move from his chair, forcing everyone else to spread to all corners from the room. Tock trailed Alan then seated herself two chairs away from him. That caught her a glare from Educator Arthur, and she move another chair apart. After another glare, she moved a fourth. Raphael refused to make eye contact with the Educator.
Sniffling, Educator Arthur picked up his terminal and connected it wirelessly with the wall screen. ¡°Two things,¡± he grumbled. ¡°One, your assignments start next week. Consider this a warmup period to get Class Euripides used to our expectations. Two.¡± He paused and eyed them all. ¡°If you can¡¯t keep up, you don¡¯t deserve to be here.¡±
With that, the lesson began. It was calculus, a subject which Lumia had no love for yet absorbed nonetheless. To Lumia, it was nothing but a set of arbitrary rules applied for reasons that eluded her. Educator Arthur meant what he said about this being a warmup. He belted ahead, giving Lumia time neither to finish jotting down his extensive, rambling notes nor a chance to steel her nerves for when his lifeless, condescending gaze passed over her. She understood exactly why she feared him: Educator Arthur accepted nothing but the best, and it was far too easy for Lumia to make a misstep in her calculations.
But mostly, the lesson awed her. She¡¯d never been pushed this hard before, and it allowed her to appreciate just how little she knew, and how much there was to learn. This was exactly what she had hoped for when she first entered Plato: to learn the truths of the world that few could fathom. With that hidden knowledge she may find a way to reverse the tides of environmental collapse, so that her sister could be spared from a world of constant hunger.
The students struggled for a time and tensions were slowly rising: a light gasp at a note too late to be recorded, a hand raised that was subsequently ignored, gestures of exasperation, the occasional reprimand from Educator Arthur over something trivial. They were all getting fed up.
Leo was the first to break.
¡°Oh, go jump off the Edge. Am I not allowed to ask questions?¡±
Educator Arthur¡¯s mouth twisted in frustration. ¡°You¡¯re interrupting the lesson. If you have questions then ask me after class.¡±
¡°Why? Is your class time too precious to give up even a minute?¡±
¡°Yes,¡± the Educator replied deadpan. ¡°Every second is precious, so stop wasting my time.¡±
The room grew tense. Opposed to Educator Arthur¡¯s intent, everyone had stopped working to watch the argument play out. Leo grew louder and more animated, while Educator Arthur became cold and firm. Nobody came to Leo¡¯s aid. Nobody interrupted the Educator.
Leo huffed and shook his head. ¡°Oh, alright, guess I¡¯ll forget what I wanted to ask and never figure out the answer.¡±
¡°You can write the question down for later.¡±
¡°I can¡¯t, because I don¡¯t have time. You¡¯re cramming so much useless crap into the lesson.¡±
¡°That means you¡¯re not able to keep up.¡±
¡°Oh, sorry for not being a computer.¡±
Scowling, Arthur slapped his tablet onto the desk. ¡°Leo, don¡¯t bug me. You¡¯ve been making stupid noises all lesson. I know you have a problem with me and if you won¡¯t shut up I can spell it out for the rest of the class.¡±
That gave Leo pause. He stared daggers at Arthur but said nothing. The Educator snatched up his coffee cannister.
¡°This lesson is harsh. I know. I made it that way. If you can¡¯t handle that, request a transfer to another school. But if you can succeed in my class then you¡¯ll be capable of anything. This is the nature of Class Euripides. And I can prove to you it¡¯s possible. Morgan.¡±
The black-haired girl¡¯s eyes popped open and darted about the room, seeking escape. Perhaps realising that was futile, she stood and fixed her hands to her side. ¡°Yes, Educator Arthur?¡±
¡°Answer this question.¡±
He tapped on his terminal and an equation appeared on the screen. Morgan glanced down at her terminal, nodded, sat, brushed a strand of hair aside, then took her stylus. Her handwriting appeared on the wall screen. A few minutes later, the question was correctly answered. Lumia knew that before Educator Arthur delivered a hollow, ¡°Good.¡± Morgan had followed the method for solving that question exactly as the Educator had instructed ten minutes earlier.
Educator Arthur glared at Leo. ¡°Now stop wasting my time.¡±
Leo shook his head, his expression bitter. But Morgan seemed almost giddy, like she had accomplished the greatest feat of her life. She turned to Lumia and her expression shifted to one of fierce determination, before she put her head back down in her terminal.
What was that about?
Chapter 24 - I light the fires at your back, you slowly walk towards me
Lumia
Their meuses rang in unison, marking the end of class. However, Lumia had learned that their meuses ringing for the end of class didn¡¯t mean that the class had actually ended. It took an embarrassing slip up and a subsequent scolding from Educator Arthur on her first day of school to realise that. Today, on her third day, she was getting the hang of things. Wait for the Educator to dismiss the class, stand up, put heart on hand in salute. Only then did class end and the backstabbing of the Educator begin. Lumia tried not to participate.
There was a flow to school life. Morning exercise, breakfast, classes, morning break, classes, lunch, classes, back to their rooms to study some more, supper, and, finally, more study. It was dull, lifeless, but that rhythm made it manageable. A pattern made it easier to adapt; a habit made it easier to fit in. So long as she went with the flow, she wouldn¡¯t stand out all that much.
And towers forbid that Class Euripides stood out any more than what they usually did. They received enough rude stares in the hallways as it was. The last thing Lumia needed was¡ª
As she turned to speak to her classmates, her cheeks reddened. She covered her eyes and twisted to the front so she wouldn¡¯t have to see. ¡°What are you all doing?¡± she squealed.
Right there in their classroom, her familia was shedding themselves of their clothes. Granted, they were all press against the walled and had their backs to Lumia, but even so¡ even so!
¡°What does it look like we¡¯re doing?¡± said Leo, completely unashamed. ¡°We¡¯re getting changed.¡±
His stomach and chest were completely bare, which made it very apparent to Lumia how much fitter the average Platonian was compared to her. Raphael, shy Raphael, for the first time since Lumia had met him seemed completely unfazed as he stuffed on a pair of shorts over his underwear.
¡°But¡ªbut,¡± Lumia stuttered. ¡°Why here? Why are you getting naked in the classroom?¡±
¡°We¡¯re not,¡± Tock giggled. ¡°Look!¡±
Lumia risked a look through gaps between her fingers. Tock was standing on top of a chair so that the whole world could see her, hands on hips, flashing teeth. She was stripped right down to her plain black underwear. It fitted rather snugly and covered a lot more than Lumia would have thought. Even so, she didn¡¯t want to see! Lumia snapped her fingers shut with a yelp.
¡°Stop it,¡± she wailed. ¡°What if someone walks in and sees you? Besides, there are boys in here.¡±
¡°But some people exercise in these,¡± Tock said matter-of-factly. ¡°You can even swim in them.¡±
Raphael slipped a black cotton T-shirt over his head ¡°We¡¯re getting changed for our physical assessment classes. There¡¯s nothing to be ashamed about. It¡¯s just skin.¡±
¡°More exercise!¡± Lumia shouted. In her disgruntlement her fingers slipped from her eyes and she saw her classmates again. She covered them again and turned away.
Lumia couldn¡¯t make sense of it. They were taking their clothes off. They were exposing themselves to the world. Why were they not embarrassed, or worried about wandering eyes?
¡°Wait, aren¡¯t you wearing yours?¡± Tock cried.
¡°I¡ªI am!¡± Lumia replied, cheeks somehow going even more pink. ¡°My exohelper laid them out for me this morning so I put them on without much thought. But I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d have to show them to everyone.¡±
¡°Ugh, fine,¡± Tock sighed.
She slipped her T-shirt on and hopped down the elevated rows to Lumia¡¯s position at the front of the room. The shorter girl grabbed Lumia¡¯s arm and yanked her from her desk. This had the unfortunate consequence of removing Lumia¡¯s hand from her eyes and open them in panic, so she could see everyone and everything. She tried to keep her eyes closed, but that caused her to stumble as she couldn¡¯t see where she was walking. Lumia had no choice to keep her eyes on her feet. From the corner of her vision, she saw far too much skin.
¡°Here¡¯s yours,¡± Tock said, grabbing a set of sports clothes and running shoes from a shelf at the back of the class and stuffing it into Lumia¡¯s hands. ¡°The bots put them in here when we have Physical Assessment so we can get changed faster.¡±
Lumia stared at the clothes, then up at Tock. Her jaw was slack. ¡°Wait, I need to get changed here?¡±
Tock rolled her eyes. ¡°Fine. If you¡¯re going to be a baby.¡± She snatched Lumia¡¯s hand and dragged her to the door.
Flustered, Lumia followed and said nothing. This whole event was embarrassing enough as it was and she didn¡¯t need to make it worse. On her way out, she glanced back into the corner and saw Morgan. She was hiding in the corner of the room with her back turned to everyone. As she threw her T-shirt on, her body twisted and Lumia caught sight of browned scars on her flanks.
Morgan¡¯s head whipped around and her eyes snapped onto Lumia¡¯s, as though she could sense her staring. The black-haired girl seemed flustered, as though she had just been caught in the act of a crime. Lumia knew she ought to have broken eye contact, to pretend she had seen nothing of importance, but she was completely engrossed in those scars, in the stories they told, the words that Morgan would never speak. It was a story Lumia knew too well.
They walked through the halls in no rush. Lumia felt they ought to have rushed a little more since every pair of eyes was focused on her and the clothes she tried her best to camouflage against her blazer. Tock eventually dropped her hand and they walked in silence, Lumia with her head bowed and trying to make herself small. Thankfully, Tock positioned herself just in front of Lumia, using her body to hide Lumia¡¯s shame.
Tock led her into a bathroom and gestured at a toilet stall. ¡°Hurry or we¡¯ll be late.¡±
Nodding, Lumia dashed inside the stall and locked it. She hurriedly ripped off her clothes, then took her time to fold them neatly so that they wouldn¡¯t crinkle. She knew the bots would handle that all but, as they used to say in Glassfall, the widest towers took the longest time to fall.
¡°So, um,¡± Lumia stuttered. ¡°Is this normal?¡±
¡°What is?¡± Tock asked. There was a dull thump as Tock leaned against the door.
¡°I mean, aren¡¯t you embarrassed? About having to change in front of everyone.¡±
¡°It¡¯s just to get into the clothes. We go back to our room afterwards. It¡¯s just saving time. Besides.¡± There was a pause. ¡°Nobody thinks about sex and stuff around here. Or maybe they do and they just don¡¯t show it.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t believe that,¡± Lumia said.
¡°Well, it really is like that. Like, sexual harassment rarely happens. The last time someone was groped on Plato, it caused a scandal that we talked about for a whole year! There was a whole debate about whether the Bulwarks should execute rapists and such. I mean, I don¡¯t like the idea of killing people, but whatever.¡±
¡°Then, do you feel safe showing off so much skin?¡±
¡°Safe?¡± Tock almost spat the word. ¡°If anything, I want more attention! My body is pretty much the only thing people like about me, so¡ªI don¡¯t know. Nobody has time for anyone but themselves. I figured that, if I showed off a little more, people might pay more attention to me.¡±
They were silent for a bit. A question had been plaguing Lumia¡¯s mind all day which she needed to ask. She slipped on her shirt then leaned against the door.
¡°Tock.¡±
¡°Yeah?¡±
Lumia took a deep breath. ¡°You were a Prospect as well, no?¡±
¡°Uh huh.¡±
¡°How long did it take you to get used to it?¡±
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There was a long pause, then Tock answered quietly, so quiet that Lumia almost didn¡¯t hear her. ¡°Never.¡±
That word hung between them, a noose around their necks. It was the last thing Lumia wanted to hear, that no matter how long she lived here, Plato would never be her home.
There was a shuffle at the door then a bump. Lumia peeked up and saw red curls, tied back and fanned out, above Tock¡¯s smiling eyes. ¡°Come on, there¡¯s nothing wrong with you. What¡¯s there to be embarrassed about?¡±
¡°Oh, nothing at all,¡± Lumia strained for a response. ¡°It¡¯ll take some time, is all.¡±
¡°Yup. Time. We¡¯re running out. Let¡¯s go!¡± Tock leapt down and skipped over to the bathroom door.
It¡¯ll only take some time, Lumia reiterated.
Though she did feel a little guilty about lying to Tock. She would never be able to expose herself to the world. Never, unless she was made to. Even when the Bulwarks had demanded so during her stint in quarantine, Lumia had resisted for as long as possible. She wasn¡¯t sure what she feared. That people would think less of her? That it would dispel the image that she presented to the world which she had worked so hard to cultivate? That they would realise she was far more broken than what a Platonian ought to be?
She tucked her T-shirt into her shorts before she opened the door. That way, even if her shirt leapt up as she ran, there would be no way they¡¯d see the scars that latticed her back.
This was Lumia¡¯s first time visiting a gym. She hadn¡¯t even considered the possibility of an indoor facility dedicated entirely to lifting heavy things and, well, punching people.
That¡¯s what Leo and Raphael were doing right now. Given that today¡¯s lesson involved ¡°sparring¡±, that meant Lumia would most likely have to do the same. Well, they hadn¡¯t been given any specific lessons on how this sparring should be caried out, only that they were told that, when their name was announced, they had to pick a partner, get in the ring, and spar until time was called.
She glanced to her side and seated beside her on the padded gym floor were Tock, Alan, and Morgan. She would have to fight one of her friends today, and with any luck it would not be Morgan! It wasn¡¯t only the fact that she was strong; Lumia was certain that Morgan did not like her very much. If Lumia¡¯s assessment was correct, then Morgan may use this opportunity to knock her down a level.
Tock, on the other hand, had looked equally as worn out in this morning¡¯s exercise as Lumia felt. Besides, if she were to fight someone, Lumia wanted it to be with someone who she doubted could swing her around like a sling.
The fight was getting intense. Raphael was curled into a ball and covering his head while Leo laid a thousand blows into him. Then, unfurling like a spring, Raphael¡¯s gloved hand whipped out and clocked Leo in the jaw. The brown haired boy didn¡¯t fall, but he took a step back, his legs unsteady. Raphael waited patiently against the ropes, swerving lithely from side to side.
Lumia leaned over to Tock. ¡°Um, why are we fighting each other?¡±
Tock arched an eyebrow at her. ¡°It¡¯s boxing. It¡¯s a sport.¡±
In the ring, Leo exhaled sharply, shook his head, then went in for a wild blow. Raphael ducked and it went right over him.
¡°But why fighting?¡± Lumia quizzed.
¡°In order to assess us,¡± Morgan explained. She sat cross-legged and straight-backed on the soft mat that covered this part of the gym floor. ¡°It allowed the Educators to collect data on our physical condition, which can be used to assess whose physical condition is declining. By ensuring their body is healthy and strong, a Platonian will be in a better condition to employ their talents in helping to save the world. If someone is found to be in that position, they will be put in a stricter training program. Personally, I think that would be shameful.¡±
Lumia recognised the jab Morgan threw her way but paid it no mind. ¡°But why fighting? Do Platonians regularly get into fights?¡±
¡°Nah, hardly.¡± Tock paused, then her face lit up in realisation. ¡°What happened during the first test was an exception. Don¡¯t think it¡¯s always like that. But this,¡± she gestured at the ring. ¡°This is a sport from the old world. People used to compete in televised competitions and millions of people used to watch. There aren¡¯t even a million people on Plato! Can you believe that?¡±
¡°That is remarkable,¡± Lumia admitted.
There were certainly less people in Glassfall than in Plato, despite her birthplace being significantly larger. The outskirts of Glassfall stretched on for eons. Countless toppled towers and dilapidated homes dotted straight roads, which were cracked and littered with decay. Some of the braver scouts would climb to the tops of the crumbling towers and claimed they could see the barren lands beyond, but without such a high vantage point, it took a full day and a half from the heart of the dying city to reach the corpse of the outside world.
The fact that, in all that wreckage, there were less people than in the much smaller floating city was simply astounding. They lived on top of each other, in towers which Lumia had been assured were properly inspected and would not fall. It was hard to envision; even harder to imagine that Earth at its peak had reached a population of almost eight billion.
Her attention snapped back to the fight. Another clean hit connected with Leo, this time in the ribs. He let out a strangled gasp, shook it off, then charged forward.
¡°Do you think he¡¯ll develop dementia?¡± Lumia choked. Too many hits to the head caused some people¡¯s minds to decay rapidly, according to her psychology textbooks.
¡°Hardly,¡± Morgan said. ¡°Not so long as Raphael holds back like that.¡±
Hearing her, Raphael glanced towards Morgan with a guilty look on his face. Leo was unrelenting and took the opportunity to clock him in the temple, grinning all the while.
Tock got onto her knees and cupped her hands over her mouth. ¡°That was dirty!¡± she shouted. ¡°Dirty boxing!¡±
¡°Good hit, Leo,¡± Alan said, glancing up a moment from his meus.
Tock whipped around and bore holes into him with her eyes. ¡°How can you support that? It was cheating! Right, Educator?¡±
She spun to Educator Rousseau who was seated on one side of the ring. However, Educator Rousseau shook her head and said, ¡°If Raphael wants to stop the fight, I¡¯ll allow it. Otherwise, they keep fighting.¡±
In the ring, it seemed Raphael was too fixated on dodging Leo¡¯s barrage of swipes to bother calling for a timeout.
Growling, Tock faced Morgan. ¡°What about you? You think he cheated, right?¡±
Morgan huffed. ¡°I am not getting involved in this argument. Who wins and loses does not matter. This is training and nothing more.¡±
Tock scowled at her before turning to Lumia. ¡°Who do you think should win?¡±
Lumia¡¯s brows shot up. ¡°Me? I¡±¡ªshe turned to the ring and witnessed Leo and Raphael trade blows to the face. She winced and looked away. ¡°I don¡¯t think there should be a winner or loser.¡± That¡¯s what she believed, but she knew that it could not be that way. The spirit of competition dictated that someone must fall.
¡°Time,¡± Educator Rousseau called. ¡°Tock, you¡¯re next. Chose a sparring partner.¡±
Leo threw one last blow, grazing Raphael¡¯s chin, and Raphael responded with a slap to the back of the head. They both grinned, tapped gloves, then exited the ring. Lumia plastered a hopeful smile onto her face and stared at Tock, begging to be chosen.
I¡¯ll spar with anyone but Morgan. She¡¯ll break me in two. Okay, maybe Raphael would do the same on accident. He¡¯s so strong! And Leo looked like he was out for blood. It must be Tock.
Only Tock didn¡¯t so much as look her way, instead stubbing Alan¡¯s knee with her toe. ¡°Let¡¯s go! You owe me for helping you on your history test last semester.¡±
¡°Ugh,¡± he groaned, prying himself off the ground. ¡°It¡¯s not a fight so take it easy.¡±
Soon they were struggling to get up onto the elevated ring. Leo and Raphael sat down on either side of Lumia, panting heavily. Her nose tickled from the double-hit of perspiration and body odour.
Educator Rousseau called for them to touch gloves, which Tock did too violently and Alan hardly at all, then they began. It was a mess. Tock was throwing sloppy hits all over the place and smacking Alan from every which direction. They were nothing like the clean and precise strikes that Raphael was delivering¡ªeven Lumia could tell how much better Raphael¡¯s technique was!
The only reason Alan was taking hits was because he didn¡¯t bother to block them. He kept his hands in front of him, in mockery of a guard, so that Tock¡¯s barrage just happened to face no resistance. It seemed painful, but Lumia realised he was barely even flinching. Perhaps Tock¡¯s strikes weren¡¯t that strong. She would have been a fantastic sparring partner. On the other hand¡
Lumia leaned forward and glanced at Morgan. The athletic girl watched the ¡°fight¡± with barely concealed disgust. Lumia swallowed hard.
Oh, she¡¯s going to fight for real. Well, I had a wonderful life, though the last month has been surreal. I wonder if she¡¯ll cry at my burial.
Leo and Raphael cheered them both on. There was no heat in their words. Rather, they pushed them to work harder. Morgan and Lumia both remained quiet. Lumia kept stealing glances at Morgan but was consistently ignored. She figured that Morgan thought the Prospect to be beneath her, not even worth a smile or even a look.
The fight ended with a bang. Tock backed into the ropes then bounced off. She took a couple steps, stretched out her arms, and shouted, ¡°Luchador!¡± Then she leapt. At the last moment, a look of sheer panic passed across Alan¡¯s face. Tock¡¯s arm swept him in the chest and they both collapsed to the floor in a screaming heap. Scrambling to her knees, Tock raised her gloved fists and yelled, ¡°Victory!¡± Alan lay still on the ground, groaning.
Leo cheered her. Raphael chuckled and Lumia giggled into her hand. Morgan buried her head in her hands, but the heaving of her shoulders gave away her laughter.
The result, of course, was a shouting match between Tock and Alan. Educator Rousseau stared deadpan at the two, then called for the fight to end.
As soon as Morgan was called, Lumia¡¯s laughter cut off and her heart began to race. Morgan stood and, without looking at Lumia, walked past her and approached a dog-faced exohelper. Someone had decorated the robot in a black tank top bearing the emblem of King¡¯s College. Morgan gave the exohelper her gloves then held her hands before it. The exohelper slipped them on for her.
Finally, she turned to Lumia. ¡°Have you ever boxed before?¡±
Morgan¡¯s expression was blank so Lumia could not make stone or steel of her thoughts. She answered honestly. ¡°No. In fact, I¡¯ve never fought once in my life.¡±
The athletic girl nodded. ¡°Then I will use this lesson to teach you. Grab your gloves.¡±
That was it. No mock, no haughtiness, only a gentle offer to help. Biting her lip, Lumia snatched her gloves from beside her and joined Morgan.
In truth, it was embarrassing. Morgan was effectively belittling her, putting her inadequacies on display. Yet Lumia¡¯s boxing prowess was inadequate, by her own admission. She could hardly blame Morgan for acknowledging that. Besides, Morgan had no obligation to teach her. The strict student could have followed the Educator¡¯s instructions to the letter. She instead chose to take the time to help Lumia develop a new skill.
Lumia allowed a bashful smile to shine through. It seemed her suspicions about Morgan holding a grudge towards her were unfounded, and that, perhaps, she had a long way to go before she could truly understand Platonians.
Chapter 25 - Fear keeps your heart from taking what it needs
Lumia
As Tock walked past Alan, she flicked his ear. Alan yelped and clutched his ear defensively.
¡°Tock, will you stop that?¡± he screeched. ¡°Seriously, I¡¯m done. You¡¯re a blunt scalpel! A nucleus with too many neutrons! An algorithm that doesn¡¯t compute!¡±
His face was blood red, his upper lip was curled, and his neck was craned forward. Lumia had grown accustomed to the usual banter between Tock and Alan, but she¡¯d never seen the black-haired boy this angry before. A reflexive smile crept onto her face and she tried to be as still as she could at the front of the classroom so as not to get caught in the crossfire.
To Lumia¡¯s surprise, Tock didn¡¯t bite back. With a big grin on her face, she leaned forward and blew air into Alan¡¯s eyes.
Alan reeled back sputtering. He cried, ¡°Okay. Fine. Whatever. I¡¯m going.¡± He picked up his terminal and meus and hopped down a row to join Raphael and Leo.
¡°Sowwy,¡± Tock said, pouting.
Though Alan made an obvious effort to ignore her, Tock wasn¡¯t dismayed. Picking up her terminal, she skipped down to the front of the room and shuffled in beside Lumia. As she passed, she jabbed Lumia in the kidney with a finger, which caused Lumia to let out a high-pitched yip. Realising what horrible noise had just escaped her mouth, Lumia put a hand over her lips and ducked forward, trying to make herself small. Tock leaned forward in her seat until she forced Lumia to make eye contact, then shared a big smile.
Dropping his laptop next to Raphael, Leo watched the whole thing unfold with his eyebrow raised. ¡°What¡¯s with her?¡± he asked, referring to Tock.
¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Raphael replied. ¡°She¡¯s been like this all day.¡±
¡°Oh, you have no idea,¡± Alan said, glowering. ¡°All morning. All morning! She just hasn¡¯t stopped flicking me, and pinching, and being just, just¡¡± he threw his hands up in exasperation then dropped his head onto the desk.
Tock spun in her chair. ¡°I said sorry,¡± she called.
¡°I don¡¯t accept,¡± Alan announced.
Dropping into his chair, Leo asked, ¡°Seriously, Alan, why is she like this?¡±
¡°Because I¡¯m happy!¡± Tock chimed.
¡°Because history,¡± Alan said. All eyes turned to him, including Tock, who poked her tongue at Alan. Sighing, Alan explained, wearing a defeated and distant gaze. ¡°Tock loves history. She gets like this before every history class. Every. Single. History class.¡±
¡°As you all ought to do, because my lessons are amazing.¡±
Sauntering into the class was a man who looked anywhere between twenty and forty. He had brown hair flecked with grey that was somehow messier than Leo¡¯s. He wasn¡¯t properly shaved, so a three-day growth of stubble framed his thin face. He placed his terminal on the desk, then leaned back onto it and used it as a seat. When he addressed the class, he flashed a toothy grin.
¡°Or at least I think so,¡± he added in a voice as smooth as honey. ¡°We¡¯ve all met before. I¡¯m Bentham. I gave you the best marks for your first test. No thanks needed.¡±
Lumia couldn¡¯t help but laugh under her breath. Educator Bentham¡¯s demeaner was rather endearing. However, Tock¡¯s reaction was far more stunning. The hazel-eyed girl¡¯s mouth was agape, and Lumia could practically see stars in her eyes.
¡°Now, this class is going to be the best class you take,¡± Educator Bentham continued. ¡°It¡¯s joint History and Morality, or HisMor for short. I made that abbreviation up.¡± He chuckled to himself.
The sparkle in Tock¡¯s eyes disappeared instantly and was replaced by a brooding frown. After a few more self-serving jokes from Educator Bentham, Tock rudely stood up and raised her hand to the skydome.
Educator Bentham cut short and cocked an eyebrow at Tock. ¡°Er, you¡¯re not supposed to stand until after I ask you to speak. Actually, the standing is optional.¡±
Tock remained standing but lowered her hand. ¡°Why are we learning history and morality? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to teach one subject in a course instead of two? That way we can get a better understanding of both topics.¡±
¡°Good question,¡± Educator Bentham said. One side of his mouth crept up into a half-smile. ¡°You can sit, by the way.¡± Tock didn¡¯t sit. Educator Bentham stared at her a moment, then shrugged and gave his answer. ¡°It¡¯s true that you would learn more history if we didn¡¯t include morality on the side. However, that would be a very dry lesson, and not very fitting for Class Euripides. So I decided to teach you a more advanced version of history. Anything else, Roxelana?¡±
The class went deathly still. Tock, standing up in front of her friends, went ghost white. She didn¡¯t move, not even blink, and she gaped at Educator Bentham as though he had just plunged a knife into her gut. Then at once she collapsed into her chair and buried her head in her arms.
Concerned and confused, Lumia put a hand on Tock¡¯s upper back. ¡°Tock? Are you okay?¡± There was no response.
Educator Bentham eyed the curly-haired girl, scratching his chin. Then he shrugged again and picked up his tablet to signal that the class was beginning. A few rows back, Alan had perked up and was watching Tock, his face riddled with concern. Lumia understood his feelings precisely, because seeing Tock be so miserable, and the one who caused this tragedy so indifferent, stirred her heart so.
Oh you sweet unfortunate thing. Your heart is fickle and fleeting. For recognition of your name, I¡¯ll put myself within your frame.
Taking a deep breath, Lumia shot up abruptly, knocking her chair back. She raised her hand skyward and shouted, ¡°Educator! I believe what Tock had meant to ask,¡± she gestured towards the sulking girl, ¡°was, what is the purpose of teaching these two subjects together and not separately? Surely it isn¡¯t simply because doing so is more advanced.¡±
Now all eyes were on her. Lumia¡¯s cheeks reddened and she wanted nothing but to give up this foolish charade, but ending Tock¡¯s misery came first. She glanced down at Tock and flashed a smile. The sulking girl tilted her head to face her, wearing an expression of utter bewilderment.
The corner of Educator Bentham¡¯s mouth twitched, then his features softened. He assessed his terminal. ¡°Tock, Tock, Tock. I can¡¯t find it here.¡±
The girl in question raised her head and gave the Educator a defiant stare. ¡°I sent you a mail about it!¡± she wailed.
¡°Ah, sorry,¡± he said, though in a tone that sounded almost like sarcasm. ¡°I guess I must have missed it.¡± He put the terminal down. ¡°Regardless, an answer to your question is in order.¡±
He pried himself off the desk and began pacing around the room. ¡°Learning history on its own is fine. However, when one spends any amount of time observing historical evidence, one must ask, ¡®What on this choking Earth does it mean?¡¯ It does us no good to look at the what of history without understanding the why. So, on top of looking at history, we¡¯re going to be placing ourselves in the minds of our ancestors and trying to understand the world as it was back then, through their perspective.¡±
A frown crossed Tock¡¯s face and she stood up. ¡°But isn¡¯t that more interpretation of history? Why don¡¯t we just stick to the factual information?¡±
Educator Bentham tipped his head sideways. ¡°Yes, but I¡¯d argue that most of what we know¡ªnot just history, but even science¡ªis just interpreting the data. The real question is, what happens when you don¡¯t have data? What happens when you don¡¯t have enough? What happens when you have all the data and no clue what to do with it? That is what we¡¯re doing in this class. We¡¯ll be addressing the subject of morality in order to shape our understanding of the past, its people, and why they made decisions that brought the world to the brink of ruin.¡±
He shrugged. ¡°Or, as the other Educators would say, alongside history we¡¯re also teaching historiography¡ªhow to think about history.¡±
¡°Then why not just say that?¡± Tock queried him.
¡°Well, that¡¯s because I don¡¯t plan to follow the syllabus.¡± He gave Tock a wink, and the girl¡¯s features softened in response. ¡°Anything else?¡±
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Tock¡¯s lips pursed, then she let out a sigh before sitting. Lumia bobbed her head at the Educator, who bobbed back in response, then she too sat.
¡°Good,¡± announced Educator Bentham. ¡°Let¡¯s begin with something simple. Who¡¯s familiar with the Moscow Accord of 2042 CE?¡±
Tock¡¯s hand shot up, and the short girl nearly leapt out of her seat. Morgan¡¯s hand also rose, but Educator Bentham seemed to have already made his choice.
¡°Yes, Rox¡ªTock,¡± he grinned to lessen his accidental offense.
Standing, Tock said quickly and excitedly, ¡°A deal between thirteen major fossil fuel producing nations that was meant to allow them to continue producing and exporting oil and coal. The deal allowed them to drop funding in primitive renewable energy production like solar panels and spend that money on post-hoc solutions like carbon capture, mass tree planting, and bio-engineering projects to offset their carbon footprint. However, all those solutions could not keep up with increased production and weren¡¯t that effective besides.¡±
¡°Excellent,¡± Educator Bentham said. Tock grinned and plonked herself into her chair.
Lumia glanced over her shoulder and could see Morgan was a little miffed. It occurred to her that the strict girl took these moments very seriously, and Lumia guessed that the reason why is that she felt there was honour in it. Lumia decided it best not to get in her way. Sure, it was a silly kind of behaviour, but if it made her happy, and opposing her would only land Lumia into an argument, then it was best to keep her head down.
Educator Bentham continued, ¡°Now, does anyone know how such an agreement was struck. Hang on, Tock, I¡¯m not finished.¡± The excited girl dropped her hand. ¡°The rest of the world had already moved to renewable energy, but these thirteen nations still managed to win this deal and increase fossil fuel dependence globally. How could this deal have so much impact in a world that already agreed to ween itself off fossil fuels?¡±
No hands were raised for a while, until Leo raised his slowly while stifling laughter. Raphael pushed his hand back down.
A smile split Educator Bentham¡¯s face. ¡°Oh, something we don¡¯t know. The answer is political unrest. Over the course of decades, fossil fuel companies, along with the help of tech, automotive, military, and national actors, had worked to sow political divisions amongst most populations. In 2032, these interests crystalised into a think tank known as the Independent Panel for Alternative Climate Solutions, or IPACS. The purpose of IPACS was to reduce the impact of climate change policies, allowing them to drive up profits by exploiting the cheaper and more personally beneficial fossil fuel technologies. The tactic of choice: divide the population on matters concerning anything besides climate change.
¡°At the time, over ninety percent of every developed nations¡¯ populations demanded a solution to climate change. However, political divisions were so severe that these policies were implemented haphazardly, usually by the volition of local governments.
¡°Let¡¯s say you were a politician at the time and you wanted elevate your position within the politburo. The population is at each others¡¯ throats and IPACS was throwing fuel onto the fire. What would you do? Yes, Morgan¡ not quite. Democratic governments also have the problem of electing from the population, so if there¡¯s instability in the streets, there¡¯s instability in the government. However, if you could get everyone on board with one of IPACS¡¯ pieces of legislation, they could offer in exchange a ceasefire on their propaganda warfare. Furthermore, they would reward the politicians that helped push their policies with campaign funding and targeted propaganda at that politician¡¯s voters.
¡°By 2040, the Calyx group, an inter-industry think tank, had devised a pathway for¡¡±
It went back and forth like that: engaging, interactive, and enlightening. It was arguably the most entertaining class Lumia had taken so far.
¡°That was the best history class ever!¡± Tock shouted, loud enough for the whole cafeteria to hear.
Morgan scowled at her. ¡°We are in a public place so mind your voice. Also, you should put those trays down before you spill them.¡±
¡°Woops!¡± Tock said with a giggle. She hooked around the table to where Lumia was waiting and placed a steaming tray before her. She smiled toothily. ¡°Today, you get the good stuff.¡±
Sure enough, the tray looked and smelled like what Lumia imagined heaven would be. Piles of cheese and pastry, stuffed with tomatoes and sweet potatoes and morsels she couldn¡¯t name, draped generously in oil. All the individual elements mashed together so that the overloaded dish smelled only like grease; it was the best scent Lumia had ever experienced.
Tock dropped onto the bench beside Lumia leaving Alan to take a spot opposite her. Lumia was hypnotised by her meal so she paid little heed to Alan¡¯s pout.
Morgan placed herself in the last remaining spot beside Lumia with a huff. ¡°I tried to deter her from stuffing your plate with too many calories, but she stole the tray from me and ordered without my permission.¡± Tock flashed a mischievous grin Morgan¡¯s way. The black-haired girl rolled her eyes. ¡°She ordered far too much and now I am worried that some of that food will go to waste.¡±
¡°Oh, not to worry,¡± Lumia assured her. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to eat it all.¡±
Morgan stared at her with a blank expression, then exhaled and attended to her own meal. ¡°Well, you still need to put on some muscle. I am sure a few extra calories will not hurt. However, do not make it a habit.¡±
Lumia dug into her meal without answering.
¡°You know,¡± Alan said, ¡°if everyone keeps delivering trays for Lumia it¡¯s going to become the norm.¡±
Tock wrapped her arms around Lumia and gave Alan a coy smile. ¡°What? Jealous?¡±
If she wasn¡¯t completely engrossed in her wonderful meal, Lumia would have hugged her back. Tock really did have good taste in food. She¡¯d have to question her later on some other delicious meal options.
¡°No,¡± Alan snapped, glaring at Tock with his neck craned forward. ¡°Why would I be?¡±
Tock replied with a mischievous chuckle, then turned to Leo. ¡°What are you doing on your laptop, Leo? It¡¯s time to eat and be happy.¡±
Sitting farthest away from Tock, the boy with mismatched eyes looked up from his terminal and gave a casual smile. ¡°Then don¡¯t worry about me and you won¡¯t be as miserable,¡± he said sarcastically.
Raphael leaned in and read aloud. ¡°Hurrem, known also as Roxelana, rose through the ranks of the imperial harem of the Ottoman Empire to become the Haseki Sultan, or ¡®favourite concubine¡¯ of the sultan. In a break from Ottoman tradition, she later married Suleiman the Magnificent, tenth sultan of¡ª¡±
He cut off as Tock leapt across the table, knocking trays and drinks aside, and slammed the screen of Leo¡¯s terminal shut. Lumia lurched back as her tray flew, sending food tumbling onto her lap. Her heart sank as she stared the mess, regretting all of those delicious mouthfuls she would never get to savour.
Leo stared at his giant classmate in horror. ¡°Hell, Raph! You just read it out loud?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Tock growled. She drilled Leo with a furious stare. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever do that again.¡±
She backed off, locking Leo in his seat with a scowl. Leo looked away and said nothing, but Raphael lowered his gaze and muttered, ¡°Sorry.¡±
The whole room was watching them, Lumia realised. She lowered her arms, which had been raised to avoid getting caught in the carnage, so that they covered the mess piled onto her skirt and once-white blouse. She had no idea how those stains would be removed from her blouse and pitied the robot that would be made to clean it. Most importantly, she pitied herself for the messy state she was in, and that she was the only victim of Tock¡¯s stampede.
Morgan was the first to notice the catastrophe Tock had caused. ¡°That was completely out of line, Tock. I do not know what your problem is, but¡ª¡±
¡°Just drop it,¡± said Alan, glaring at Morgan.
¡°No, I will not. One of our classmates is now going to miss part of the next lesson because¡ª¡±
Tock¡¯s face was like thunder. Her upper lip curling, she bellowed, ¡°Oh, I was out of line? Huh, that¡¯s really funny coming from a girl who¡¯s had it so easy, going to every fancy school there ever was.¡±
Morgan gaped at her. ¡°If you are implying that I had an easy path into Class Euripides, you are greatly mistaken. Yes, it is true some students did get accepted into King¡¯s College due to the arete system bumping up their scores. Yes, my previous secondary school, Charlemagne¡¯s, was a prestigious secondary school and had a high arete, so my score was bumped up significantly. However, I studied harder and more diligently than any of my peers. I earned my place in King¡¯s College.¡±
¡°Yeah? Well at least you could be accepted into those fancy schools. A Prospect like me only gets to go to average schools if we¡¯re lucky.¡±
¡°That is your own fault,¡± Morgan snapped. ¡°There is no restriction against Prospects entering higher arete schools. You just had to study harder.¡±
¡°Ah, yeah there is,¡± Tock moaned, rolling her eyes. ¡°You know what it¡¯s like to be a Prospect in a school full of Platonians?¡± Tock stood and leaned over Lumia to better glare at Morgan. ¡°Do you know what it¡¯s like to be in school when you have a name like mine?¡±
Morgan turned away and folded her arms. ¡°Then when you had Ascended, you should have chosen a different name.¡±
¡°I was five at the time!¡± Tock screeched and slammed her hands on the table. ¡°I didn¡¯t know what I was doing. The Bulwarks told me she was a princess. I didn¡¯t realise she was a¡ª¡±
¡°Tock, everyone is listening,¡± Morgan hissed.
Coming to her senses, Tock settled back in her seat and put her head down. ¡°Glorified whore,¡± she muttered under her breath.
Class Euripides fell silent. Snickers rose from the tables around them. Everyone in Class Euripides stared at their food, or fiddled with their meuses, or, in Lumia¡¯s case, tried to hide the shameful mess in her lap. They¡¯d created drama. This would be spoken about. But most importantly, it hurt. Seeing everyone so miserable broke Lumia¡¯s heart.
They all shared a part of the blame, Lumia considered. Even Alan, who at the very least could have avoided this situation by speaking up about it sooner. Even herself, who had been aware of the problems as far back as their History and Morality class and had been so focused on her next meal that she neglected to say something to her classmates, in order to avoid this.
Suddenly, Tock reached over and began collecting Lumia¡¯s tipped tableware. ¡°Sorry,¡± she croaked, her voice breaking as though she were on the verge of tears. ¡°I¡¯ll clean it up. Just leave it.¡±
Raphael stood and waved a deterring hand. ¡°No, leave it to me. I shouldn¡¯t have said¡ª¡±
Tock snapped up at him, sorrow and regret clashing on her face. ¡°Just stop, alright? I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡± She finished picking up the last of the big scraps of food then grabbed Lumia¡¯s arm. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Use me to cover up the mess.¡±
Not wanting to upset Tock any further, Lumia agreed and they made their way back to their rooms. They were silent for most of the walk. Feeling perturbed, Lumia decided to break the silence.
¡°I¡¯m really sorry about what happened with your name,¡± she said low enough for only Tock to hear.
¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Tock mumbled. ¡°I don¡¯t deserve a better name.¡±
At hearing that, Lumia¡¯s heart sank. Oh, you silly thing, that is so not true. You¡¯re kind and cheerful, though you can be an earful. The world need only recognise you.
They were both late to their next class. Lumia never got a chance to make up for her lost lunch, though she was far too upset to eat a bite more. When Educator Arthur scolded them for being late, Tock took the blame with a smile on her face.
Chapter 26 - The world must burn before the sprouts can come anew
Lumia
¡°Game time!¡± Leo announced, bursting into the common room of Familia Euripides. He waved a small rectangular object in his hand.
Tock, Raphael, and Lumia looked up at him from the couches, jolted from their conversation.
¡°Alright!¡± Tock cried, raising her arms to the skydome in celebration. Then her excitement subsided as she took her meus out of her pocket. ¡°One second.¡±
As Leo settled himself onto one of the sofas, he tossed the rectangular box he was holding onto the low table nestled between them. Lumia¡¯s curiosity tugged at her, tempting her to pick it up and see what it was. However, she felt it was not her place to fiddle with someone else¡¯s possessions.
Thankfully, Raphael had no such inhibitions and he slid the box off the table, into his palm. Lumia leaned in to watch. The tall man flicked open the box¡¯s cardboard lid and pulled out a thin, hard sheet with a decorative image painted on the front, reminiscent of a Feudal king.
¡°What is it?¡± Raphael asked, cocking an eyebrow.
Leo flashed a grin. ¡°Playing cards. From the old world.¡±
Raphael¡¯s mouth parting in bewilderment. ¡°Where did you get this?¡±
Before he could answer, Tock¡¯s meus blurted out a disgruntled, ¡°What, Tock?¡±
¡°Alan!¡± she shouted, answering the boy on the other end of the call. ¡°Get out here or I¡¯m turning all of the old computers on your shelf by seven degrees.¡± She paused. ¡°In different directions.¡±
¡°What?¡± he cried. ¡°Why do you keep doing this?¡±
¡°Random degrees.¡±
¡°Alright, alright,¡± he whined.
A moment later he was out of his room and trudging towards them with bare feet. He was rubbing the back of his neck and mumbling, ¡°Last time it bugged me for a week¡ªa week!¡ªbefore I realised what was wrong.¡±
He plopped himself down next to Tock and glared at her. Tock poked her tongue at him.
¡°Very good,¡± said Leo, nodding sagely, ¡°but there¡¯s still one missing.¡±
¡°Er, maybe you shouldn¡¯t,¡± said Raphael, holding up a hand.
Too late. Leo was already striding towards Morgan¡¯s room. When he reached it, rather than using his meus to call Morgan, he grabbed the door¡¯s handle and thrust it open.
Everyone winced as a high-pitched yelp emitted from Morgan¡¯s room. Then she started howling. ¡°What are you doing? I am in the middle of studying and do not have time for your stupid¡ª¡±
¡°I have contraband!¡± Leo spoke over the top of her.
¡°What?¡± Morgan gasped, entirely forgetting she¡¯d just been intruded on. ¡°Where? Why?¡±
¡°Common room.¡±
A second later they were heading back to the sofas. Leo wore a smirk while Morgan pouted with her arms folded.
¡°I cannot believe you,¡± she grumbled. ¡°I have known you for a week, and every day of it you have been doing something irrational.¡±
¡°Logic, logic,¡± he said idly, ignoring her complaints. He threw himself into the sofa. ¡°Let¡¯s play.¡±
Morgan blinked at him. ¡°Play what?¡±
¡°A game from the old world.¡±
That piqued Morgan¡¯s interest and her expression went from sour to intrigued. Her eyes settled on the cards in Raphael¡¯s hand. ¡°Where did you get those?¡±
Leo grinned. ¡°It¡¯s not contraband. It was a gift.¡±
Morgan rolled her eyes. ¡°I should have known. I¡¯m going back to my room. And you,¡± Morgan grumbled, fixing Leo with a hard stare, ¡°should not be playing. You know that our assignments will start next week, so we should try to get on top of our studies now that we have a day off.¡±
¡°Yep, totally agree,¡± Leo said, though he sounded completely disinterested. ¡°Now let¡¯s play.¡±
Seeking to soothe over the mood, Lumia beamed at Morgan and patted the empty seat beside her. Sighing, Morgan strolled over and placed herself on the sofa, keeping her back straight and crossing her legs. She was wearing her pyjamas and they looked so comfy! Uncertain what was appropriate for a ¡°day off¡±, Lumia had decided to wear her school uniform as usual. She regretted it sincerely as everyone else was dressed so casually, mostly in their sportswear or pyjamas. Fortunately, nobody had commented on Lumia¡¯s attire.
Today was their first day of no classes, which Lumia found to be quite surreal. Apparently, this was an every-Sunday occurrence for students. The very idea that Platonians would have spare time to catch up on their work was one of the many oddities of these people. In Glassfall, there was no such thing as a ¡°day off¡±, and instead one would allocate the extra time needed to complete necessary tasks by taking it from their sleep.
Still, Lumia was grateful for the extra time and took advantage by socialising with her friends. So far, she, Tock, and Raphael had spent the morning talking about school and life on Plato. Lumia was hoping to rush towards becoming a semblance of a well-adjusted student. She never directly asked her classmates to speak on the topic of socially acceptable behaviour, as that would have exposed her anxieties; rather, she prodded them back to the subject every time they veered away.
Turning to Morgan, Lumia asked, ¡°Have you heard of this game before?¡±
¡°Well, given that we have not heard the rules,¡± Morgan intoned, ¡°then no.¡±
¡°It¡¯s called King,¡± Leo responded, taking the deck of cards back from Raphael and shuffling them. ¡°And about the rules.¡±
He took his meus out and tapped for a few seconds. Then each of them felt their pockets buzz. One by one they unlocked their meuses and were greeted with a message in their class¡¯ group chat from Leo. He¡¯d sent them a folder titled, ¡°Rules.¡± Lumia tried to tap on it, and an alert came up which told her that it was encrypted.
Leo took six cards from the deck and placed them on the table face up. He then passed the deck to Alan to inspect. ¡°Those are the rules. I¡¯ve encrypted it, and only I have the key.¡±
¡°So we have to unencrypt the file, huh?¡± said Alan, prying the deck apart and assessing every card. ¡°Then what¡¯s with the playing cards?¡±
Leo¡¯s eyes flickered in frustration. ¡°No, I give you the key after you win.¡±
Tock snatched the cards out of Alan¡¯s hands, sending some of them sprawling across the table. She scooped them back up and reorganised them.
¡°Wait,¡± she said. ¡°How are we supposed to win if we don¡¯t know the rules? Or can we just make them up?¡±
¡°That¡¯s the challenge,¡± Leo said. ¡°You need to figure out what the rules are.¡±
Morgan¡¯s face scrunched up in confusion. ¡°That is completely unfair!¡± Tock walked around the table and passed her the cards, which were now haphazardly facing up and down at random. Morgan began to sort them. ¡°If only you know the rules, then only you will ever win.¡±
¡°Oh, are you giving up already?¡± Leo insinuated. Morgan lowered her chin and raised her eyebrows at Leo. ¡°There are five of you and one of me. You can all work together to figure out the rules and then beat me.¡±
¡°And what happens if we do?¡±
A mischievous grin stretched across Leo¡¯s face. ¡°Then whoever wins becomes the next King, and they get to make the rules.¡±
Finally, the cards were passed to Lumia. She shuffled through the deck, admiring the artwork of a long lost age. There was something odd about them, she noticed. Compared to the precision of Platonian technology, these were rough and worn. Her fingers slipped over them just fine, but their surface was not evenly smooth as she had grown used to while on Plato. If this had been produced on the floating city, the cards¡¯ edges would not have felt so scratchy, the designs would have been far more intricate, and when she flexed a card it would have snapped back to position as though nothing had ever occurred. The playing cards¡¯ imperfections were so subtle, yet that¡¯s what made them so charming.
Morgan was absolutely right. The rules were completely stacked against them. It wasn¡¯t only because Leo knew the rules, but because that victory condition made it impossible to overcome the insurmountable difference between him and they. Should they work together, they would risk handing the victory to another player, another competitor. In order to win, they would inevitably have to compete with each other. In that ensuing chaos, Leo would always have the advantage.
All the more reason to beat him, she thought, a grin edging onto her lips.
¡°I think we should all play,¡± Lumia said. Everyone stared at her like she had gone mad. Lumia returned their stares with a smile. ¡°It sounds fun, to try and overcome adversity in such a whimsical way.¡±
She turned to Alan. ¡°It will be a great challenge, don¡¯t you think.¡± He shrugged, but his expression betrayed him as warming up to the idea.
Next was Tock. ¡°And can you imagine the chaos that would ensue, when a rule is misinterpreted and we must then argue with Leo?¡±
¡°Ha,¡± Tock barked. ¡°Imagine the look on Leo¡¯s face when we beat him!¡±
Lumia nodded. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s a game from the old world. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll love it.¡± Then she faced Morgan. ¡°It would be a great exercise of our deductive abilities. A learning experience, even.¡±
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Morgan¡¯s arms were folded, and her fingers drummed on her triceps. ¡°You do have a point.¡±
¡°And I think it¡¯ll be fun to play with everyone else,¡± she spoke to Raphael.
Raphael cracked a smile and nothing more.
Leo stretched out a hand, asking for the cards. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s start.¡±
Lumia gave him the cards and he began¡ mixing them, but in a very dextrous manner. He¡¯d pick up a random fraction of the cards and slide them into the remaining deck so that they squeezed between various cracks. Somehow they all seemed to find their place amongst their brethren, though Lumia imagined that with every shuffle they¡¯d wear and tear until their edges were so frayed that they would become too different from the others. If they were different, they would not appear the same on the back, not another card but an individual, and any attempt to hide them amongst their peers would be in vain.
After shuffling, Leo doled out the cards. Everyone received a different amount. He, the dealer, received six, Morgan two, Tock three, Alan four, Raphael five, and Lumia herself only received one card. In her case, it was a joker.
Tock glowered at her hand, then she arced up and thrust a finger at Leo. ¡°Hey, why do you get more cards?¡±
Leo only shrugged.
¡°Well, we don¡¯t know if it¡¯s better or worse,¡± Alan suggested. ¡°Since we don¡¯t know any of the rules.¡±
¡°He gave himself the most,¡± Tock said. ¡°It¡¯s clearly better to have more.¡±
¡°What do we do?¡± Raphael asked.
Morgan huffed. ¡°You have to at least tell us some of the rules. Otherwise, we cannot even participate.¡±
¡°Fair point,¡± said Leo. Stamped on his face was an emotionless smile. He was already playing, Lumia realised, covering up any expression that might give away his intent. She paid close attention to his every motion. ¡°First, we take turns playing our cards. Since I know the rules, I¡¯ll go first.¡±
He placed a card on top of one of the six cards he¡¯d placed face up on the table earlier. The card he played was face down.
¡°Second, if there is a rule violation, you have to draw a number of cards from the deck.¡± He gestured towards the remaining deck placed on one side of the table. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you how many.¡±
¡°Hold on a second,¡± chimed Morgan. ¡°How can we be sure you will not cheat, or lie about the rules?¡±
¡°It¡¯s a game,¡± Leo said, his features not even flinching. ¡°I want to win, but there¡¯s no prize if I do. I¡¯ll play properly because I want the game to run smoothly.¡±
¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Raphael said, nodding. ¡°Otherwise he would just be messing with us.¡±
¡°And what if he is?¡± Morgan snapped.
Raphael shrugged. ¡°Then we stop playing and there¡¯ll be no game left.¡±
¡°Exactly,¡± Leo said. ¡°I¡¯ll be the king of nothing, and that¡¯s no fun. Which means, I need to give you all a chance.¡± He glanced away and muttered, ¡°A very small one.¡±
Tock narrowed her eyes. ¡°What are you planning?¡±
Leo held up a hand defensively. ¡°I¡¯m just making the game a challenge. Besides, you¡¯re all the brightest students in all of King¡¯s College, right? Maybe even all of Plato! I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll win eventually.¡±
Oh, perhaps I should not have roped everyone into this, Lumia thought. However, it was too late to back out. Her attention had sharpened and she was on the hunt for any shift in emotion, any change in expression. It wasn¡¯t just her, though.
Tock bombarded Leo with more questions. Alan was surprisingly quiet, observing the room. Raphael¡¯s eyes were darting around the table. Morgan was staring hard at her cards, the cards on the table, and Leo¡¯s own hand. Oh, the game was already being played. Class Euripides had run head first into this challenge and they each refused to back down.
Four hours later, they were at their wits¡¯ end. Leo sat at one end of the table with seven cards in his hand¡ªa condition which, as he had sprung on them two games ago, could potentially lead to a victory under circumstances yet unknown. It was Lumia¡¯s turn and her thoughts stirred like a tempest.
Now if I play hearts onto spades that¡¯ll allow me to draw another card, but if I do that I can¡¯t block Leo¡¯s next play which will most likely be a king, which I think will allow him to achieve the all-kings victory as there are two other kings already on the table¡ªno, he needs an ace to do that which he doesn¡¯t have, but he can get one from Morgan who¡¯s turn it is next, and that¡¯s assuming she¡¯s hasn¡¯t figured out the ace-king relationship¡ªoh, the rule that prevents more than one question spoken per turn is brutal since I had already asked Raphael if he would trade me a six on his next turn¡ªah, what am I doing again?
Leo¡¯s meus rested on the table. He tapped on it, indicating that the time for her turn was running low. Of course he had also added a turn timer to the game. Everything about these rules was completely unfair! But it was far too late to complain. She played hearts onto spades.
Glancing over the table, Leo flipped over his hand. ¡°I win.¡±
Everyone gaped at him. It was plain as grey what they were all thinking: how?
Morgan¡¯s back stiffened. ¡°But it is my turn next. Surely there is something I could do to stop you.¡±
¡°Nope,¡± he said without explanation.
Raphael leaned in. ¡°At least explain how,¡± he said with a chuckle, trying to soften Leo up.
¡°Nope.¡±
¡°Was it because of the kings?¡± Alan asked.
¡°Not saying.¡±
¡°The threes?¡±
¡°Not saying.¡±
¡°Something to do with suits?¡±
¡°Not saying.¡±
Tock slammed her cards onto the table. ¡°This game is stupid!¡± Secretly, Lumia felt the same.
That wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d done that. He never explained the victory conditions. Or any rule. He simply waited for them to make a mistake and penalised them. So far, every rule Class Euripides knew had been determined by deduction. The whole affair was making Lumia¡¯s head spin. And her stomach grumble.
¡°Maybe we should call a break here,¡± Lumia piped up. ¡°It¡¯s getting late and we should probably eat soon.¡±
¡°Ah, I completely forgot about my studies,¡± Morgan cried.
¡°Well, can¡¯t help it now,¡± said Alan. ¡°I¡¯ll have to work on my emotion detection app next day off.¡±
Tock narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°What happened to your last project?¡±
Alan shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll finish it, just¡ªdon¡¯t look at me like that, I mean it this time! I just thought this one was really interesting and wanted to start it straight away.¡±
¡°I have to say,¡± Morgan spoke up, causing everyone to turn her way, ¡°that the rules are incredibly difficult to comprehend. If that was your goal, I applaud you, but the amount of effort you put into this game could have better been used elsewhere.¡±
¡°Right?¡± said Tock. Lumia was surprised to see Tock and Morgan agree on, well, anything. That surprise lasted all of two seconds. ¡°It¡¯s like, when one card is played, it completely changes what can happen next. It¡¯s way too complicated!¡±
Raphael nodded in agreement. ¡°If the state of the game is always changing, then there¡¯s no way to manoeuvre against the king. They¡¯ll always have the upper hand since they know the rules and can manipulate them at will.¡±
Leo had scooped up all the cards and now shuffled them idly. ¡°That¡¯s true, but you can keep trying again and again. That¡¯s what makes a game fun: there are no consequences for failure.¡±
¡°Agreed,¡± Lumia said. ¡°All in all, I think everyone enjoyed themselves. They wouldn¡¯t have stuck around so long if they didn¡¯t.¡± She made a conscious effort to ignore the rumbling of her stomach, and the itch to ask for another round.
¡°Hey, I¡¯ve been wondering,¡± Alan spoke, voice low and filled with concern. He tugged at the knot of black hair at the nape of his neck. ¡°What do you guys think about that class that we have tomorrow?¡±
They all went silent. There was no need to voice it: the class in question, as provided in their timetables, was simply called, Euripides. No further information had been given about it. Morgan had tried mailing the Educators, speaking to Educator Arthur in person, and even attempted to book an appointment with the Principal in her determination to eke out some knowledge, in the hopes it would help her prepare more thoroughly. To everyone¡¯s disgruntlement, she had made no promises to reveal that information to them, demanding instead that they each seek out the information themselves. Not that it mattered, because the Educators had told her nothing.
In truth, they were all worried, and it showed on their faces. Their workload was already significant, and that was before whatever was laid on them in Euripides. They all had the falling feeling that it would be something ridiculous, something fitting of their position.
Morgan was the first to break the silence. She puffed out her chest and gave them a haughty stare. ¡°Regardless of what we are assessed on, I will do my best. I suggest that if you do not want to be left behind, you would study just as hard.¡±
¡°Er, of course,¡± Alan grumbled. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m going to score higher than you.¡±
¡°I would love to see you try,¡± Morgan scoffed, then flashed a smile at Alan.
¡°I plan to study hard no matter what,¡± Raphael said. He lowered his gaze and scratched the back of his shaved head. It had been a while since he¡¯d shaved it and stubble was beginning to poke through. ¡°I¡¯m glad to be here, you know. In our Class. With all you guys.¡± His cheeks reddened slightly.
¡°Well, an idiot like me needs to study hard,¡± Tock said with a nervous laugh. ¡°Or else I¡¯ll never keep up!¡±
Sensing the direction the conversation was moving, and feeling relaxed in a way she had never felt once in her life, Lumia made a decision on a whim. She first donned a smile, then bit her lip, and finally settled on a neutral expression. Her jaw thanked her for the chance to rest.
¡°I never spoke about this,¡± she said, a slight quiver in her voice, ¡°but at home¡ªI mean, in the place I came from, I have a sister. Before I left, I promised her I would study hard and fix the world for her.¡±
Tock shuffled closer to Lumia, concern crossing her face. ¡°Do you miss her?¡±
¡°I¡ª¡±
It was like she¡¯d been struck. Misery and longing pooled up and raged inside her, banging against the walls she¡¯d confined those feelings in with such overwhelming force. Her eyes stung and she let out a strangled gasp. Trying not to let her emotions break her, she crunched forwards to try and contain it all. Her hands sprung to her eye, ready to swipe away any rogue tears that threatened to betray her.
¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she strained. ¡°Something must have got into my eye and¡ª¡±
Rather than mock her, however, her classmates were all concerned. For her. They were worried about her! Tock put a hand on her back, Raphael offered a smile, Leo looked downright miserable, and Alan toyed with his meus.
Her arms folded, Morgan stared intently at the deck of cards in Leo¡¯s hands. ¡°I do understand how you feel,¡± she admitted. ¡°When I was in primary school, I too had a family that I was close to. When we parted for secondary school, I was very upset.¡±
Lumia sniffed. ¡°But I thought that Platonians didn¡¯t have families.¡± Well, they had a familia, but that was different.
¡°Not in the usual sense,¡± said Leo, putting a bitter emphasis on the word. ¡°Once we start school, and when we move onto work, our family is the people that we are assigned to live with. We never know our birth parents. We¡¯re never allowed to. For the sake of developing into better Platonians.¡± He smiled wryly. ¡°At least, that¡¯s what everyone says.¡±
Lumia couldn¡¯t help but think that was rather miserable. Moving from familia to familia, never putting your feet down and having a foundation. They were always working, always being shaped and made into the perfect students, the ideal Platonians.
Most of her pain had simmered down now, so Lumia drew herself up and took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Please forget you ever saw me like this.¡±
¡°Saw what?¡± Tock giggled. ¡°All we¡¯ve been doing is playing some stupid card game.¡±
¡°It¡¯s an unspoken rule, but familias should stick together in Plato,¡± Raphael said. ¡°They¡¯re the only ones who ever care about you, anyway.¡±
Alan bobbed his head. ¡°Yeah, I wouldn¡¯t do anything for another student here. But if you needed a favour I¡¯d probably help. Depends on how busy I am.¡± Tock shot him a death stare, and Alan flinched. ¡°Er, well, I mean I¡¯ll make time for you.¡±
Lumia couldn¡¯t stop herself from smiling. A genuine smile. When was the last time anyone had ever offered to help her? When was the last time someone had cared about her for reasons that did not benefit themselves? Genuine love was a concept she was convinced was lost to all but herself and the books from Earth¡¯s brighter past. The very concept itself was something she¡¯d only understood through reading. There was nothing of the sort in Glassfall, just hunger and desperation.
And that made her want to cry, though this time those tears would be filled with joy. Not wanting to worry her friends¡ªher family¡ªany further, she decided to laugh instead. Once she began, though, she couldn¡¯t stop it.
It started as a giggle, then built into something hysterical. Her tears fell freely, and far too heavily. At this point, now that she was finally feeling, she didn¡¯t care if they saw. She let it all fall out, and for every tear lost there was more to replace it. One by one, her friends joined her. Before long, they were laughing at each other, laughing at nothing, laughing at the fact they couldn¡¯t stop laughing. What did it matter? They were happy. With their assignments coming up, how often would they get a chance to feel this way? They must have gone on for hours like that, though a more rational part of Lumia¡¯s mind told her it was only a couple of minutes.
Once they had all collected themselves, Lumia wiped away her tears. ¡°About that class tomorrow,¡± she said. ¡°Whatever it is, I think we should all try our best. As long as we work together, I¡¯m certain we will be fine.¡±
There was no need to say it. Their bright smiles all told Lumia their agreement. Only Leo wasn¡¯t smiling. Staring into the distance, he flipped a card from the top of the deck. It was a king.
Then seeming to come back to his senses, Leo put on an easy smile and addressed her. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s show the school who we really are.¡±
There was a tightness in his voice, something cold and hurting in is words. Lumia knew she should have been concerned, but she was too elated to worry about such things. She chalked it up hunger. Together, their promises were made, and that meant more to her than she had the words to explain.
So that day she made a promise to herself. She would do everything she can to protect her friends, forgetting in the moment what that meant for her sister, Clementine.