Thief Of Existence

ŪNUS

It was June of that year when a mailman rang the doorbell of a lovely house. It was one of the most beautiful houses he'd seen, though it was simpler than the rest in the block. The house had a clean porch with neatly painted walls of pale yellow and white. The roof tiles were black and the windows were adorned with shining curtains that played with the wind and sunlight of summer. The front yard was filled with flower bushes blooming colorful buds that added even more to the welcoming air of the house. There were two tall apple trees too, and the mailman looked longingly at the big red apples. Whoever owned the house did a great job on it and he was proud of himself to see such a beautiful place.

He rang the doorbell for the second time and the door opened. He met face to face with the owner of the house, a tall girl wearing baggy pajamas and a large gray shirt. Her hair was in a tangled messy bun and her eyes seemed to still be closed. She looked like she just woke up and she was munching on a piece of toast she held in her right hand. The mailman almost jumped back in surprise upon seeing her. He didn't expect a young woman to open the door of the house he was envious of.

"Good morning... miss."

"Good morning. Did any mail come for me?"

"Yes, an important one, too."

He shook his head to snap himself back to focus on his job as he pulled out an envelope from his bag. The envelope bore a grand-looking logo on it as well as an address written in bold letters.

"It's from the New Oscrines School of Law! And arrived just at the right month, too! Almost all of the teens I know have been waiting for a letter from that prestigious law school. Everyone wants to be admitted in their accelerated law programs," he clapped his hands as the girl looked at him blankly, "who knows, it might be a letter offering you admission!"

She slowly chewed on her toast as she tore the envelope open. The friendly mailman leaned forward to look at the contents of the envelope. She unfolded the letter and read it loud enough for the mailman to hear.

"Arian Benedictus Zhu," she read. "Congratulations! You have been offered admission for the Accelerated Juris Doctor Program of the New Oscrines School of Law. It is a program offered to deserving students who aspire to become effective lawyers in the tradition of Jesuit character and education. It is completed after only two years of academic study in our world-class law school giving the best of quality law education. We have seen impressive potential in you as a lawyer and we are offering you a slot in the program that you can accept whenever you desire."

The mailman clapped his hands, amazed by what he just heard. The most prestigious law school in the country was offering the girl in front of him a slot that she could take whenever she wanted. He took it as an implication that she was quite intelligent. The New Oscrines School of Law wouldn't just give such an opportunity if a student does not exceed their standards.

"Congratulations! That's such good news! You should take the offer!" he exclaimed.

Arian shrugged as she slipped the letter back into the envelope. "They've been sending me the same letter ever since I took the admission examination when I was 16 years old. They told me that I was that year's topnotcher and I also got every question right. They doubted my score so they interviewed me in what seemed to be close to a courtroom environment. There was even a mock trial that they made me participate in. I successfully defended my 'client' from a six-year prison sentence. They've been very impressed with me and offered me straight admission to their Juris Doctor programs even if I don't have a bachelor's degree in any pre-law course, which should be a requirement for every law student. They said I didn't need a pre-law and that they were willing to offer me any scholarship. Anything it will take to make me accept their offer."