CHAPTER THREE: A FAKE JEWEL
(a/n: for joy)
Okay, Elle thought. She was freaking out in a very silent way, which was bad because if she didn't come out of the council room, she'll faint.
"I did what?"
"You are not allowed to ask questions, Ms. Jensen," Jessica Shaw reminded. "But you are free to defend yourself by answering our questions."
What, she asked silently in total shock.
Hailey Leighman and Kara Hayward were both reviewing notes, Jessica Shaw was literally killing her with her eyes, and Trey Brian Parker was looking as strict as always, playing with his fountain pen.
"Tell us if you affirm or oppose our allegations," Kara Hayward said after a few moments of silence.
"Is your name Carmella Jensen, a senior student of the GEM Academy?" Hailey started.
"Affirm," Elle answered.
"Did you, Carmella Jensen, take the first round of preliminaries?" she continued.
"Affirm."
"Did you, Carmella Jensen, imagined that the first level examinations be hard?"
"Affirm." Of course, she'd imagine it hard. This is a school for the genius, for crying out loud. But Elle kept her composure. She didn't want to make a scene in the middle of her senior years.
They all nodded with each other which were quite not a good thing with Elle thinking. She felt like she was being interrogated. In which, she is.
"Did you, Carmella Jensen, receive your score grounds?"
"Affirm."
"Did you, Carmella Jensen, have a high score in foreign language test part?"
"Affirm," she answered with confidence. Almost eighty percent of the foreign language exam was Japanese, so yeah, she should've nailed it. She was in Tokyo for three months, for Pete's sake!
"Did you, Carmella Jensen, know that the administration office password was in Japanese characters?"
"It is?" she asked. There were rumors but she wasn't sure.
"Do you affirm this?"
"No, of course not!"
"We're you, Carmella Jensen, having troubles with your family's finances?"
Her face darkened.
"Was that even necessary?"
"You don't have to worry, Elle, we treat all these information with utmost confidentiality." The young Kara Hayward assured.
"Kara Hayward, you are prohibited from calling improper names inside the council room," Jessica Shaw butted in. "But like she said, you don't have to worry about anything."
"So, Carmella Jensen, do you affirm this?" Hailey Leighman pushed.
Elle's dad was having problems with his hospital. Mr. Jensen was accused of harassment to one of his patients a few months ago. It affected the company's reputation and very slowly, they were losing clients.
"Affirm," Elle finally answered.
"Do you, Carmella Jensen, affirm that you have any involvement in the thievery of the school's confidential preliminary files?"
They were now all looking at Elle. For the first time in her life, she felt small and unguarded. She remembered when her elder sister told her that she was called in the council's office. That day was horrifying. Her sister looked so miserable she can barely smile.
