Heathen Series - Changed

Chapter 9

Ntsakela sat dozing off in her history lesson; she was very bored and desperately wanted to go back to sleep.

Behind her, Tannah kicked her chair to remind her to stay awake, even though the video they watched was dreadfully dull. They really struggled to stay awake despite all their efforts and distractions.

Then their teacher paused the video and looked around at his dozing class. He walked around waiting for everyone to wake up though they knew that he was using that as an excuse to stretch his legs and wake himself up. Why did he pick that video?

"It's an awesome video, right?" he said attempting to quicken the wakening process by interacting with them.

The class rolled their eyes and sat up straight, stretching their own limbs and shaking the pins and needles from their hands.

"Look who I froze the video on, anyone recognise him?"

"Isn't that the General that Dr Harper introduced us to?" Ntsakela blurted out before she could stop herself.

Now she was wide awake.

"Yes, it is. This was taken back in his younger days when he was about in his twenties, maybe younger before he became a general. He fought in a war that no one has been able to determine who actually started it; even though it took a lot of men and women down in the process to fight it. Probably civilians too." he explained as best as he could.

"How old is he now then because he still looks as if he is in his twenties...?" asked Tannah.

"He's probably in his late forties. I'm actually not sure, I'll ask Dr Harper when I see him but you're right, he doesn't look that old does he? Actually, let me ask him now quickly." and he walked over to his desk, pulled out his phone and started texting.

He put it back down and moved back to the front of the class.

"Sir, you used your phone which means that is a privilege drop." commented Shaylin with an arrogant smile.

"Very funny, but you know if I get a privilege drop then so does the rest of the class."

Everyone chuckled but kept quiet; they didn't want to risk it..

"I thought so. Now moving on... he joined the war when a group of rebels known as the Exterminators apparently killed his parents who lived as doctors on call in a nearby village in the country Keraq - his the last one of his family. Or so were told."

"What do you mean, sir?" asked Serina.

"I mean that we don't know that for certain. We don't even know what the truth actually is."

He walked back to the board and stared at the picture for a bit; grim faced.

"But isn't it all written down; someone had to record it for future references otherwise this class wouldn't really exist now?" countered another boy in the class.

"And who writes the history books, which side do we actually hear from?"

No answer.

"The winners. Those who win the war, write the history books which can make their opposing side - everyone's enemy. And since his side won, they got to write the history books. They are the ones that got to be the so-called heroes."

"Yes sir, but surely, they should write the truth so that no similar mistakes will be made in the future?" asked the new girl, Sandy, innocently.

"They should, yes. But they won't - they couldn't have the risk of making themselves look too horrific as they did have some part in it and what is better, looking good - great even - after telling a few lies or looking worse than the so-called enemy themselves?"