"Yesu Kaelitha."
Apollo stared blankly. The na didn't ring a bell but as he studied closer, the girl did seem a bit familiar.
Yesu still held his gaze, but she was now frowning slightly.
Those eyes, she had seen them sowhere before.
The classroom door slid open.
And a sudden noise disrupted Yesu's concentration.
"Hey, Apollo…"
Three guys ca in.
The first one, Oliver, quietly walked to a desk and sat down.
The second, Daryl, reached out for Apollo.
"Where have you been, man? I was so lost without you."
Apollo dodged but Daryl caught him anyway, enveloping him in a hug.
Apollo stood stiff.
The third guy, Roshan, leaned on a desk.
"There was a pop quiz yesterday." He explained.
Daryl did a mock cry, stopping when he noticed Yesu who was watching from the window side.
He let go of Apollo.
"A new potential candidate?" He asked, puzzled.
No one replied.
Roshan left the desk he was leaning on and advanced towards Yesu.
"Wait…" he said. "You're the Kaelitha girl everyone keeps talking about."
Yesu smiled dryly.
"Yes. That's ."
Roshan was confused. "But you're a Zero, right? How co you're in Prep?"
"Or even here at all." He added.
The air was still.
"Alright class…"
An Instructor walked into the room with a slide.
He set it on his desk, then faced the students.
"Where are the rest?" He asked, disappointed.
Daryl spoke first.
"On their way, I guess."
The Instructor's gaze landed on Yesu.
"Kaelitha, nice to have you with us." His voice was even. "I am Mr Ryco and I instruct this prep level. If you have any questions or difficulties, feel free to see ."
Then he addressed everyone.
"Take a seat."
The standing students went to sit down.
"Apollo." Mr Ryco called.
Apollo paused briefly.
"Nice to have you back. Although you missed a test." Mr Ryco said with a lopsided smile.
His statent didn't earn a reaction.
Apollo just sat down like it was none of his business.
Roshan kept glancing quizzically at Yesu.
***
The APG Level Two Prep lounge overlooked the eastern side of the academy through towering glass walls.
Far below, students walked the academy grounds.
Inside the lounge, the atmosphere was noticeably different from the rest of the school.
Quieter.
Sharper.
A long black table occupied the center of the room, surrounded by leather seats and neatly arranged academy docunts.
The level two Prep students sat around the space while others stood near the windows.
No one looked relaxed.
"Well, this is embarrassing." Patricia sighed, crossing her legs elegantly. "The whole school is talking about it."
Roshan sat with both elbows resting on the table.
"Not just the school. Helios already knows."
Daryl nearly spat out his drink.
"What?" He laughed. "Already?"
"They have students here during joint activities," Patricia replied. "Obviously word would spread."
Norman frowned.
"This is exactly why transfer policies exist."
"And she's in Prep," Grove added calmly from the far side of the room. "That's the real issue."
Oliver remained silent in his seat, flipping through a booklet.
Mahirah leaned against the glass wall with folded arms.
A few strands of her carefully straightened hair had begun to curl from the humidity.
She looked irritated.
"She shouldn't have been admitted at all." she said bluntly.
Daryl tilted his head.
"You haven't even t her."
"I don't need to." Mahirah replied.
"Why weren't you in class this morning? " Patricia asked.
"An ergency student council eting." Mahirah said with ease.
"Seems like you've been getting a lot of those lately." Daryl teased.
Mahirah burned red.
"At least I'm trying to make a difference. What have you been doing with your ti?"
Daryl raised both arms up in surrender.
"Okay. I'm backing off."
Mahirah glared at him.
Roshan let out a slow breath, still brooding.
"Honestly, I still don't understand how that girl got into Prep."
"Neither does anyone else," Patricia muttered.
Apollo sat alone on one of the lounge sofas, one leg crossed over the other.
Silent.
Detached.
Like the conversation was background noise.
Daryl glanced toward him.
"You're unusually quiet today."
Apollo barely looked up.
"Am I?"
"Yes," Mahirah answered before anyone else could.
Apollo's gaze shifted lazily toward her.
Mahirah straightened slightly from the glass wall.
"This is what I wanted to discuss yesterday."
Apollo already looked uninterested.
"The student council has been dealing with complaints since yesterday." She continued. "Students aren't happy about the board's decision. They feel this 'transfer' is a violation of status."
Patricia scoffed softly.
"Students you say."
Mahirah ignored her.
"The academy finally builds back its reputation after the Summit incident and suddenly this happens."
Norman nodded imdiately.
"Exactly."
Daryl looked around the room.
"You people care way too much about reputation."
"We are the reputation," Patricia replied flatly.
That earned silence.
Because it was true.
APG Prep students were not ordinary Echelon students.
Everything attached to Echelon is naturally attached to them as well.
Mahirah looked back at Apollo.
"You should speak with Olwen."
Apollo didn't react.
"He's vice president." She added. "If the board sees enough opposition from the student body…"
Apollo cut in quietly.
"You've suddenly beco very passionate about student affairs."
The room fell still.
Mahirah's expression hardened slightly.
"What exactly is that supposed to an?"
Apollo finally looked at her directly.
Calm.
Unreadable.
"I an," he said evenly, "you usually don't involve yourself in things unless they inconvenience you personally."
Daryl looked down to hide a grin.
Roshan suddenly found the ceiling interesting.
Patricia adjusted her sleeve, pretending not to listen.
Mahirah unfolded her arms.
"This affects all of us."
"Hm."
Apollo's response was absent-minded at best.
Mahirah frowned.
"You think I'm wrong?"
Apollo leaned back slightly into the sofa.
"Not really." He said calmly. "But I know for certain that right now, Kaelitha isn't your problem."
Silence.
That one landed.
Because everyone in the room knew it was true.
Mahirah's jaw tightened.
Apollo looked away from her toward the academy grounds outside the glass wall.
Then added without emotion.
"At least not yet."
User Comments
0 comments from readers