Chapter 3
Loud honking sounds distract the whole district of Sapius. Everyone is staring at the long white bus of Whitehorn Academy. This is the only authorized vehicle to take incoming students to Whitehorn Academy. Pile of sixteen years old starts to climb the bus, they are in one single line, some of them are pushing just to have good seats, but most of them have handy books sticking in front of their noses. For us who comes from a poor district, education is our treasure, our only hope of success. We can't let that slip on our hands.
Because I'm too busy looking at the other Sages, I come last to enter the bus. I see Terence in the first seat, looking coolly with his rectangular eye glasses. I want to say Hi and sit beside him, but there's no vacant seat and he's not looking at me. Why didn't he save me a seat? Is he mad? But why? I didn't do anything. In fact, I should be the one mad. Wrinkles form in my forehead as I try to calm down; part of me still wants to throw a spear at his throat and the other part is dying to talk to him.
I stumble on my way to my seat at the back part of the bus. "Someone's pretty nervous" teases a brown, long hair girl whose voice is like sandpaper scraping a chalkboard – high pitch, irritating. Everyone is looking at me, laughing. I get up on my feet as fast as I could.
"You want a piece of me, Shane?!" I grab her red collared dress, forcing her to stand up on her seat. I may have slender body, but at least I'm taller than some other girls in our district and I'm strong. I lift heavy things on our house when James is not around for help and dad used to teach us basic fighting techniques for fun.
Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! The students tap their feet as hard as they can, causing the whole bus to shake. Shane's hands are shaking as well. She's been bullying me my entire life, Her hatred for me is skin deep; I don't know what I did to make her hate me that much. "Someone's pretty nervous" I mock her.
"STOP! Get your hands off her!" a man's voice echoes in the whole bus. Everyone fall silent. I swallow my saliva as he approaches us. I feel my knees trembling. It took me a second to realize who he is. He's Professor Nylon Watts, teacher of Power Control in Whitehorn Academy. I never knew that Professors come on the gaining day. He's in all white, with a lining of gold on his cape that falls on his elbows. His eyes narrows at us, it's like a crow's eyes, dreadful. Scary. I let go of Shane the moment I heard the word 'her'. One minute he was on the door of the bus, the next thing I know, he's in front of us. My palms are sweating hard; it's too early to be in trouble.
"She started it!" Shane blurts out, pointing her index finger on me. Of course, she'll take the blame on me, like she always did.
"She..." says Professor Watts, looking at me surprisingly. I always get that look every time they finds out I'm a girl.
"She tripped me!" I shout. I can't always take the blame on other people's fault.
"Both of you shut up!" He says louder than before as the bus starts to move. From Sapius, it will take four hours to get to Kentron, and from there, it would take a half hour train ride to get to Whitehorn Academy. So we are expected to be there by twelve thirty, if I didn't make a scene.
I am on my way to my seat when I hear something irritating. Something I hate to hear. 'Orphan Puss'. I hear Shane teases as she sits on her seat again. She clearly crosses the line. I turn around, grab her by the shoulder and punch her in the face. I feel her small, flat nose crack; blood starts to run out from her broken nose. She starts to panic. She cries louder than George. I can't believe that James dated this girl! No one was surprise that I did that to her. They know who I am. They know what I am capable of. I'm proud I hit her, it makes me... Me.
