Chapter 4

  The sun’s warm light permeated through the glass wall. Muffled voices surrounded the empty hallway. Each room filled with children has the same structure, the same mounted wall clock.

  4:00 PM

  A chime resounded as an elevator opened. There was only one person, a guard. He wandered through the hallway, checking each room, stopped at Room 4B, and peered slightly at the instructor.

  Lewis spun his pencil with his hands, held his paper, and leaned back trying to whisper.

  “Owha, do you understand this one?” A word problem etched in the paper asking how does pledge five bound the contractor to Article 732, statement three. Then Lewis glanced at the door where the guard was staring in and said, “Can’t blame him.”

  “Lewis, please recite the Defron-Averia Federal Constitution of Peace Agreement of 1818 in the module.” The teacher erased a filled whiteboard when she saw the guard staring at the door then the guard tilted his cap.

  As Lewis began to speak, the teacher interrupted him.

  “I will hold the lesson for a minute; I have business to attend to.”

  The teacher left the room, and the students began to move and gossip. Lewis groaned then went to Sebas.

  Owha looked at Lewis then took his phone and opened a game when he was approached by his fellow student.

  “Woah, is that the SSR card: Knight Issachar? Lemme see.” The student took Owha’s phone and tapped at the card, “Woah, it is real.”

  “Giho, give it back!” Owha snatched back his phone as his friend patted his back and jeered sheepishly, “You lowlife.”

  Giho peeked at Owha’s desk and asked him, “Is that the answer for the fourth problem in our assignment?”

  “Yeah, but it's not double-checked yet but–”

  A click sounded in Giho’s phone, taking a picture.

  “Well, take it as you wish. I don’t really care if you fail.” Owha fiddled with his phone when Giho prepared to leave.

  “Thanks bro. You’re the best.” Owha saw Giho left.

  Giho fixed his eyes on a student, three seats behind Sebas, and they both waved to each other.

  “Sorry class for waiting. Lewis, please say the constitution earlier.”

  The teacher was back and all of the students behaved as usual. Lewis stood up and read the constitution in the module.

  “Quoted by Jure L. Nick, "The inflexible system of Uvaria to destroy human creativity is…”

  The chalk squeaked as the teacher wrote on the board. Some of the students wrote what was on the board, listened to Lewis, or murmured to their seatmates.

  Achoo!

  A student at front sneezed from the chalk dust but Lewis continued speaking.

  “...to abolish the restrictive system from hindering the effectiveness of creativity of the people. “

  Lewis stopped speaking and sat down. The teacher began her explanation of the constitution. What date it was accepted and how effective this constitution was to the Western Nations.

  Light became dimmer as students focused on their daily quiz. Then the bell rang.

  “Finished or not finished, please pass your papers to the front.” The teacher began packing her materials and students passed their papers.

  After the papers had been handed over, the teacher left the classroom.

  “Friday cleaners, you know the drill.’ A student with a pin announced as a couple of students nodded after they're done packing.

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  Hanging fans ceased spinning. One by one, the students left alone and with a group until the cleaners were the ones who were left.

  “Did your boss pay you enough for the week?” A girl smacked her classmate’s back.

  "Yes, the pay is good e-NOUGH!" The student jolted as Mia tickled his sides. "Mia, stop that!"

  “Cheer up bud! Hmm?” She stood on tiptoes and patted his head. “You've gotten taller.”

  “Yeah, what about it?” He shrugged off her hand and continued cleaning.

  “Oh please, don't try to go smug on me.”

  “I'm not.”

  They stared at each other as she grabbed her wallet and gave him ten bucks.

  “Here, so you can get taller than me.” Mia smiled still in her tiptoes.

  “Thanks, but can you go back home giving me this amount of money?” He glanced at the money as he left a smile on his face.

  “I counted and it is enough so just take it already!” She sat at the desk to her side as she uttered a whisper. “Or are you just that rich?”

  “We both know that's not true and I'll take half. I know that you've saved up that money so you can buy that keychain, right?” He took half of the money.

  “Ohhh? I never thought of that! Yeah, you keep half.” She stood up, grabbed the broom leaning in the chair, and whispered. “Thanks, Paul.”

  The cleaners finished their work as they grabbed their bags.

  “Wanna walk home together?” Mia stowed the broom she used to the closet at the corner.

  “It’s almost six, can you still go home if we walk together?” Paul switched off the lights.

  “Hey, you lovebirds, are you leaving or not? The gates are closing.” Giho came back as he grabbed his tumbler below his table.

  Both of them scoffed at his comment. Mia shut the closet and Paul locked the knob as they quickened their pace.

  Three of them left and Paul closed the door behind him.

  Lights in the elevator's buttons were off, and figures of the three students reflected on the floor’s surface.

  “Fu-!” Giho almost slipped and reached the stairwell entrance. They went down the stairs and stopped at the second floor where the hallway lights were on.

  The door in Room 2A was opened as mist left the room. The hurried footsteps disappeared within the stairwell.

  “Please check this paperwork for the transfer student. The format in the second page was changed last month.” A deep voice emanated in the open room.

  Outside the window, three students ran on the pavement towards the elevated walkway. Inside the room, staff and teachers are still at their designated spots.

  “Is it in the ‘student format’ file on the cloud server?” The teacher from room 4B asked.

  She was standing in front of the desk, and a man gave her back the printed documents. At the side of the papers, a nameplate was sitting in the corner.

  ‘Dir. Hugh Delvin S. Kelvin, Head of the Department’

  “Yes, and Miss Averyl, watch your tone when you talk to me.” The director gave a smile and looked at Miss Averyl’s face.

  “Yes sir.” She bowed, carried the papers back to her desk, separated the papers, and shredded the incorrect papers at the shredder bin below her desk.

  She sighed and moved her mouse. The computer turned on with digital documents still at her desktop.

  She clicked one of the tabbed documents pertaining to the crack in the wall of Room 4B.

  She adjusted her glasses and began working at her assigned task.

  —

  7:38

  The clock ticked as one after the other left the office, leaving Miss Averyl and the head in the room.

  “Miss Averyl, I am now going home. Please turn off the lights in the hallway and the faculty.” The director grabbed his suitcase beneath his desk and exited the room.

  She stood up and stretched her body. Behind her was a CCTV blinking red.

  She walked to the side cabinet full of blank papers and took several of them then put it in the printer above.

  She pressed the on button and put the USB drive to the desktop beside it and printed the papers.

  She grabbed the printed papers, put them in her desk drawer, and took her purse. She closed the door, turned off the aircon and the lights in the faculty and hallway before she left the building.

  The moonlight pierced from the windows, glimmering the marbled floor. A full moon reflected in the window glass as stars filled the sky. In the far distance, lights in buildings shone the entire cityscape.

  8:00 PM

  The digital hanging exit sign showed the time as it beeped. Then the moon was blocked by the clouds in the night sky.