In still a sleepy state, Kayla could barely hear a whispering sound, she immediately opened her eyes and sat up, she took the phone and looked at the time, it was six in the morning, she could hear the speaker ringing outside, it seems to be a morning call, they were calling them out,
“Please prepare yourself and go down to the hall to reunite”
‘So what they meant for seven o’clock is exactly seven o’clock on the dot, not seven o’clock waking up’, Kayla let out a sigh of relief, if the speaker hadn’t rung, she might have overslept, she had been feeling tired yesterday and accidentally slept without turning on the alarm, she closed her eyes trying to gather back her soul, but suddenly she could feel her hair went up on the back of her neck, she quickly turned to take a look, but there is nothing there, she scanned the surrounding and found nothing.
Kayla was already fully awake by now, she got up and walked to the bathroom to have a quick bath, she just wore simple clothes and got out, not forgetting to lock her door back and keep the key in her pocket properly. When she walks along the corridor, it seems that not many people have gotten out of their bed, since it is very quiet and kind of scary when she walks alone.
Kayla's heart almost dropped when she suddenly saw a man standing at the elevator, she didn't expect that someone would have also waken up, but when she saw what she was wearing she came to realize that this person was only a staff,
“Can you please show me your key”
Kayla hesitated for a moment and took out her keys and showed it to him,
“Could you please flip it back”
Kayla then realized that this person wanted to note her name, so she showed it to him. He nodded and wrote it down on his tablet, Kayla looked at him in confusion,
“Would you like to went down first?”
‘There are still around forty minutes to go, but I think it won't be a bad idea to come earlier', so she nodded to him and he pressed the button, that is when Kayla noticed that the button was not like the button she usually sees, it has only one button, there was no button of up and down, but she shrugs it off thinking nothing much of it.
While waiting for the elevator to come, someone also came, Kayla could hear the footsteps, it was Steven, he was wearing almost the same thing he had worn yesterday, if it was not for the additional design, Kayla might have thought he was wearing the same thing as yesterday. He silently nodded at Kayla which surprised her very much, he didn't look like someone who would greet first, so Kayla returned his greeting with a small nod and smile, the both of them stood awkwardly in front of the elevator.
The ride down was extremely nerve-wracking for Kayla, she had never thought that she would go down together with him, even though he didn't look like someone who would just hit you without reason, but Kayla couldn't help but hold her breath when she was with him. They go on their separate ways when they arrive at the hall. The elevator is located at the back of the staircase, so you have to walk out to see the vast and beautiful hall. It was still pretty early and there were not a lot of people in the hall, probably around the same as last night, but all of these faces felt unfamiliar to her,
Kayla found a corner to hide and observe her surroundings, the hall was indeed big and luxurious, there was a door located on each side of the wall at the very back, from the looks of it, there might be a couple of room before them which Kayla couldn't see where the entrance was.
It was six forty-five and the hall began to be surrounded by a lot of people, Kayla also noticed that they had opened up three of the elevators not like yesterday, but the things that made Kayla surprised is because she had never thought that they would bring so many people here,
‘I have counted it before, the number of graduates every year has never exceeded three hundred students, could it mean that just for the selection, they have to send half of us home?’
Kayla could sense that someone was approaching her, when she lifted her head up to take a look, she could see Aaron was approaching her, Kayla was not sure if it was just her imagination or not, so she dared not to recklessly greet him, to avoid the awkwardness if the person he seeks is not her, but when he already smiled at her and their eyes had met, Kayla couldn't possibly ignore him anymore, so Kayla give him a simple greeting,
Aaron, “You are quite early”
Kayla nodded, “I hear the speaker ringing, so instead of staying in the room, I think it will be a good idea to analyze first— You.. have a good eye”, actually Kayla had seen Aaron getting off the elevator and directly walk to her way, at first she thought that it might just be a coincidence, but it doesn't seem to be so.
“Your hair is quite eye-catching”, Aaron's tone sounded like teasing.
“Your hair is also.. good”, Kayla replied awkwardly, hearing that, Aaron could only chuckle,
“You don't have to reply if you don't want to. — Unexpectedly, there are a lot of people huh”, Aaron said and Kayla nodded. There are different kinds of people standing in here, innocent-looking ones, the hooligans, the high-end clothes, just by one look you can see there are a lot of types of people and backgrounds gathered here. There are still many people who put on a sour face, probably because they still have not truly accepted their fate, Kayla also feels funny herself, how could she unknowingly be pulled in by her parents so easily just like this? They don't even know what they have sent their daughter to.
When the clock was precisely at seven o’clock, the clock hanging above the staircase rang, Kayla hadn’t taken a good look at it before, but looking at it now, the clock was also an antique, the door that is located at the end of the room on the right side suddenly slammed open, revealing a lady wearing a very tight violet classical dress with heavy glasses hanging on her nose, her hand is holding a purple fan embroidered with gold design, and the other hand is holding a glass of wine, when she sees not that many people were paying attention to her, her eyes turn sharp and she puts the whistle hanging from her neck to her mouth and blow it hard, it makes a painfully shrieking sound that stab the ears,
“Follow me”, she simply stated and all the people swarmed towards where she was heading. Kayla could see a bright light coming from that room, on the right side there were floor-to-sky windows that let the warm and cozy morning lights shine through the room, and on the left side there were a lot of posters of people wearing chef gowns with their name and achievement they made, but Kayla didn’t recognize even one of them,
‘Probably because I have never been interested in this topic’
But what makes many people awed is the bottles of alcohol that are organized very well on the cabinet, there are many types of alcohol being displayed, whisky, tequila, wine, brandy, champagne, rum, they have basically everything. For people who like drinking, they might be interested and see this as a treasure, but for Kayla who rarely drinks, she doesn’t seem too interested, but one thing she knows is that, all of this doesn’t looks to be cheap.
Kayla could hear some before gasping in awed when they walked inside the other room, when Kayla stepped inside the room, she also felt her whole body shiver from the sight, a rectangular shape hall, on the right was a crystal clear glass that led to the back garden, but sadly it is unavailable for them, on the left is where the cooker and the food are displayed, just like last night, it is buffet like style, except now there are a lot of different kind of food, when Kayla sees it, she finds it hard to believe. And at the end of the room, you have got a theater-like screen and speaker, with an analog clock hanging above. Chandeliers hanging above with walls and pillars delicately crafted with a hint of gold foil, even though it is not as grand as the hall, for dining hall to be this luxurious, it is hard to find anywhere,
“You have got two hours for you to dine. Not taking more than you can eat, not making a mess in the dining room, no talking while eating, and make sure you clean after yourself up when you are done!”, her voice is sharp and loud, after saying that she got out of the room, gesturing the student to make way for her to get out and slam the door closed.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Kayla and Aaron look at each other with a perplexed expression, some people who have gotten hungry have already decided to dive in and take their own tray, make a line, and queue, Aaron shrugs his shoulder, and also stands along the line with Kayla following from behind. But not long after, just around two hundred people or so getting their fill, there is a commotion made from the front line,
“What do you mean there are no more?! How could such a big school didn’t prepare enough food?!!”,
They all scream in complaint, Kayla turns around to look at Aaron whose face has gone dark, Kayla also has a concerned look on her face,
“There is a limited quota for every serving, how about you wait until we make the next batch, it will be ready in 30 minutes”
‘But we didn't have that problem before last night, from what I see, there are even a lot of leftovers’, Kayla thought that this situation was very strange.
“What the hell is this! It must be because the one from the front has gotten all of it, such a poor loser”, some people mumbled from the back.
The one who had already gotten their fills gets offended and slams the table hard,
“What the hell are you saying?!!”
“Isn't it true, it is because you have never eaten food like this that you are being greedy and taking more than you should have”, the other added fire again,
The one who originally have seated and enjoyed their foot have gotten up one by one,
“Do you think I am poor like you?!! I could afford to buy all of it if I want to!!”
The verbal fights soon turned into a physical fight, the commotion got bigger, and the one who wanted no dirty ink stained on them had moved away, some girl who got scared had already gone to hide in the corner. There was no sign of the corresponding staff to try to calm the messed down, or at least pry them away, their expression made Kayla shiver, it was as if they had gotten used to it, they acted nonchalantly and standing there as if nothing is happening in front of them.
“The situation is not good”, Aaron stated and Kayla nodded agreeing. Just fighting with their fist was not enough, they have started banging and throwing things. Kayla heart is thumping loudly, there is something in her heart that screams something is definitely wrong, but she doesn't know what it is.
“Let’s get out of here first”, Aaron said and Kayla nodded, they decided to take a seat at the farthest corner, away from the crowd. The voice gets louder and the atmosphere becomes tense, suddenly one of the girls shouts,
“Stop!! Are you not embarrassed by yourself, fighting over food!!”, she shouted at them, but the commotion had become so big that they couldn’t hear her anymore. Some people got worried, but some also smiled, Kayla could faintly hear one of their words, “So disgusting”
Kayla just looked at the scene with a cold face. That girl bangs the table hard a couple of times using the tray, making a very loud banging sound, this finally makes them look at her.
“Have you done enough? This is not a place to fight, if you want to fight, go back to your own home! Look at how big you all are and still acting like a child!”, she roars at them, but instead of making things better, all of their mad eyes are directed toward her,
‘This is not good!’, Kayla thought
“What are bitc*es like you doing?!”
“What! I am just stating the truth and you are not happy about it? Aren't you being unreasonable?”, she replied rolling her eyes, those people got infuriated and launched forward, wanting to hit her, Kayla scurried to her side, but before she could do or say anything that girl had already pushed three of them face down on the floor. Kayla stopped on her feet and looked at her with her eyes wide open,
‘That is why she is so bold, she has it in her’, Kayla let out the breath she had been holding and just looked at the mess.
‘They have already fought like this, and they still didn't want to come out and handle this problem? What kind of school is this?’
When they saw that this girl was not easy to be bullied, all of them suddenly went quiet,
“Who else!”, she shouted loud and clear, no one dared to say anything anymore, she humph and walked away, leaving the crowd into silent,
‘This girl is something else, her martial arts are also not half bad’
“That girl.. is something else”, Aaron murmured.
Kayla turned around to look at him and smiled,
“Why don't you go and approach her?”, Kayla suggested, and Aaron looked at him with a confused face and quickly hid it and put a smile on his face,
“Why must I do that?”
“Because the reason you started talking to me is because you think I have some value to you”, Kayla knows the looks on his eyes when they first get inside the elevator, he seems unbothered and cold, but when Kayla shows him that she could still think logically when they encounter something they didn't know if, that is when Aaron started to get interested with her. Hearing that, Aaron became stunned and didn’t know what to say,
“I didn’t know that I have made such a bad impression in your heart”, he said sadly and embarrassed
“Doesn’t matter, I think most people do the same”, Kayla smiled genuinely, bumped his shoulder with her fist lightly, and walked away.
Since the mood for breakfast is basically over now, many people have decided to walk out of the room to roam around the building and make friends, Kayla decided to stay in the dining hall, and wait for the food to be done. Aaron carefully approached her again, but now the atmosphere had become awkward and Aaron didn’t dare to get close to her, he just sat opposite her a little seat away, looking at Kayla who was looking at the garden, the warm sunlight gently illuminating every feature of Kayla’s face, her bright eyes radiating a very gentle yet clear eyes, the glow around her makes her have that angelic aura around her, looks like someone unreachable.
When a crying voice suddenly comes closer to them, the both of them turn around to look at who is letting out such a painful cry,
“Kayla! I finally have found you, this place is too scary!!”, she comes and embraces Kayla in a firm hug, Kayla is a little taken aback, but after seeing who it is she gives a few comforting pats for her.
“Clara”, Kayla gently called out to her and Clara let go of her,
“I have been looking for you since yesterday, but we are not allowed to go anywhere except for our floor”, she cries, Kayla finds her word a little disturbing,
“Now that we talked about it, how did we know that we couldn’t go anywhere except for our floor?”, Kayla mumbled
“There are no emergency stairs and the elevator button couldn’t be pressed!”, Clara pouted. Kayla nodded in understanding, since she has never tried so she doesn't know about it, Clara took a glance at Aaron and nodded awkwardly, she turned around to whisper to Kayla,
“Your friend?”
Kayla nodded, “His name is Aaron, we got into the same elevator yesterday, and this is Clara we met at the airport”
Aaron extended his hand and Clara nervously took it, after exchanging greetings, the atmosphere became awkward, Kayla who felt it looked at both of them and held her laughter, she didn't know why, but she found this situation quite funny. The next moment, the staff called them again to serve the food, and this time unlike before, many people hastily ran to make a line, they even fought for it, but some people out of their pride didn't want to quarrel with them and sit leisurely, waiting for the crowd to disperse. Kayla looked at Aaron and he also looked back at her, so Kayla asked first,
“Aren't you hungry? Should we get something simple?”, he nodded and seemed relieved, they got up and walked to the lines to queue. Aaron wanted to say something, but he didn't know what to say, so he decided to close his mouth, but Kayla already noticed his behavior,
“You still think about it? Don't worry I also think that you are not half bad, I am not the kind of person who holds a grudge for something simple like that”
Aaron, “I know, it is just that, it is better to clear the misunderstanding while it is still fresh”
They just take a sandwich and a milk for their breakfast and went back to their seat. Now that they have food on their plate, the atmosphere doesn't feel as tense as before,
“So which school are you from? I am from Mary High School”, Clara asked curiously,
Kayla, “I am from Switz”
Aaron, “I am from Brenden”, when Clara heard that name she gasped out loud, that is a prestigious school, and not many people have got the many to apply there,
“Wow! You must be very smart, and.. rich”, Clara whispers the last words and pouts before saying, “I heard that the library is full of ancient books, have you ever seen it?”, she ask excitedly, Aaron shakes his head,
“Only teacher and professor could get in”,
Clara looks sad just like a lost puppy. Kayla now knows why Aaron seems unbothered by all of this, it turns out that he already gotten used to seeing things like this, perhaps the prestigious school he attends also has something similar to this. They were in the middle of having a conversation to get to know each other when suddenly the staff shouted again,
“Are there any students that would like an extra meal? You can come and have it if you want to”
When the three of them heard that, their heart suddenly went cold,
“Didn't they just say that they didn't have enough food, why did they suddenly have additional food?”, Clara said and looked at Kayla, Kayla shook her head gently indicating that she also didn't know the reason, perhaps also because of the fact many people have leave the dining room too. Two hours have passed indicating that the time for breakfast has already ended, the speaker rang and told them to gather in the hall.
Liam, “it seems that you have a great time with your breakfast— Now. I am going to distribute your card, this will be your temporary guest card, you can use this card to access some places from this area, including your room, that is why it is important and you need to take it anywhere you go and remember not to lose it. Once you lose it, we won't be able to provide you with a new one. Sooo... you need to protect it well as if it is your baby”, he ended his speech with a smile on his face.
“Didn't you already give us the key?”
Liam, “That is temporary because your card is not ready”
“What if I lose it?”
Liam, “Of course you will get a certain punishment”, when people hear the word punishment their faces turn dark and sour,
“Are you playing with us!! We have never seen such an old-fashioned school!!”, the crowd started to get heated up again,
Liam face turned dark and his voice went cold, even the guards were already on standby, “Since you have come here then you must obey the rules from here, I believe that your parents have already told you why you are here. Why don't you act well for the past three months and let us give you the appropriate assessment of your behavior and intellect? If you do well, I am sure you won't feel wronged”
“Our parents don't even say anything!!”, one of them shouted and the crowd went into messed, Kayla sighed, she started to feel her head hurting from all the shouts and cursing. Then a gun voice echoed to the whole room, Kayla also looked at them with eyes widening in shock,
“Do you want to hear us out or do you want us to play hard?”, Liam asked, even though the people standing around him all had gotten out their weapons, but he was still standing there with his smiling face and eyes crescent like a moon. When the crowds didn't dare to utter another word, his smiles grew wider.
“That is more like it”
Kayla's heart is still beating loudly and Clara's eyes are already wet with tears,
‘They won't really shoot us will they’
TO BE CONTINUED...