Agent 024

JUST ANOTHER DAY

I got ready for another peaceful forty minutes of sleep. So I put my hand on my forehead covering my eyes at a distance and began listening to my teacher as she began the lesson. Honestly, I don't know how I have been surviving Biology lessons this far. I have nodded off to sleep through half of them. I have a secret wish to record one of these lessons and play them to sleep. I am sure it will work better than any lullaby.

"Wake up, stupid, wake up.", muttered Snigdha.

I was aware of someone kicking my shoe under the table. My past experiences have made me develop a survival instinct and so I was instantly awake, all my senses alert, my reflexes ready.

"Page 790, para 4 line 2", my survivor murmured.

"How long?", I asked when I was sure my teacher was not looking at me anymore.

"She has been staring at you for the past minute, you better be ready.", she said.

"No chance.", I challenged.

But sure enough my bad luck meter had decided to turn to an illegal high. Five minutes before the class got over, came the much expected surprise.

"So now Tisha will tell us how a sensory impulse is converted to a respone in the central nervous system.", Mrs Clern said.

I thought of a response – 'well was that French or Spanish?' , would not work here. Sarcasm doesn't work well in these situations.

So I shot out the best answer I could mange, hysterically scanning every file on nervous system my nervous system had stored in all these years. I looked at my teacher's face which was confused while she contemplated what to draw out of my explanation. I glanced at my watch. Any second now, I wondered. And I was never more glad to hear the school bell even if it was the same mundane sound.

"All right class, you have to submit your assignment on Specimen 4 tomorrow.", she said as she went out, shaking her head.

" Hey you learnt a science fiction on nervous system for fun?", my friend Akansha teased from behind.

"Can't believe I escaped that.", I wondered out aloud. "That actually worked."

"Common, you gotta borrow a lab coat, remember?", Snigdha said.

Yeah. Another weekly ritual. I wonder why I actually brought my chemistry lab apparatus when I never brought it to school anyway. Mostly, I forgot it at home. The few lucky times I managed to get it out of home, I forgot it in the car.

'You can remember dialogues from Shakespeare's plays but you cannot remember to bring your lab coat?", Snigdha teased.

"Oh, come the full stop.", I quoted Salarino.

Snigdha sighed. Just then I spotted Amiksha coming out of the lab.

"Hey, Amiksha.", I called out to her.

"Hey.", she said, handed me her lab coat and hurried to her next class.

"Wow, I'm famous.", I mumbled. I set a mental reminder to remember to bring the lab coat the next time.

Snigdha and I sat in our seats just as our Chemistry teacher started explaining to us how to conduct the experiment.

"Right. Set the burner on and I'll get the filter paper.", I told Snigdha after our teacher finished speaking.

After pouring potassium permanganate solution on it, she asked, "Alright, now we just have to hold this filter paper above the test tube till the evolved fumes change its colour?"

"That should work.", I replied.

"Tisha, you found the concentrated sulphuric acid bottle?", asked Avantika who was working at the table across me.

"Yeah, it's with Aman now.",  I said.

I really think this lab turns into a local departmental store every time my class works in it. Here, a bottle containing silver chloride finds its way from roll number 1 to 45 all across the room. Not because we don't have all the things separately allotted to us but because everyone is too lazy to look around. So basically it's a group of 10 charitable searchers of our class who discover the various acids and bases.

"Tisha, shut the fire off.", Snigdha warned.

"But the paper hasn't changed colour yet.", I said.

" Oh.", I muttered a second later.

The filter paper was on fire. I threw it down. She rushed to the tap. I grabbed the notebook closest to me and slammed it onto the paper again and again till the fire was put out. She stared at me with horrified eyes. I followed her stare to the notebook I was holding. It was her practical file and it's cover was, well to say the least – shattered. Uh oh. She is one of those people who keep everything nice and orderly. I consider myself the leader of the messy and disorderly clan as I had not covered my books since forever.

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Author's Note~

Hello readers. The first few chapters will revolve around Tisha's school life and the turn of events that lead to her becoming one of the best agents. Stay tuned to Agent 024 and do tell me about your thoughts on the story so far.
Do vote and comment if you liked the chapter.
Till next time ~
Happy reading.