Elitism

Vanishing Papers

Scene 1

Present Day

"Oh shit oh fucking shit me," Sophia Johnson cursed to herself as she paced around her office.

"Where in the fuck did all of the exam papers suddenly disappear to? Good Lord!" She continued pacing frantically for a minute or so before finally making her way to Principal Lizzie's office.

"Come in," Lizzie said monotonously as Sophia knocked on her door. Sophia walked silently in, and came to a stop in front of Lizzie's desk.

"And what would you like to talk to me about today?" Lizzie asked. Sophia described the situation at hand.

"You brainless slut!" Lizzie screamed as she slapped Sophia square across her face. "This is not the first time! Do you have any idea how..." she continued, before coming to an abrupt stop.

"How what, Ms Lizzie?" Sophia asked, half-stunned. Lizzie walked toward Sophia's side of her desk and pulled her close in an embrace, giving her a quick but deep lip locking.

"You're a fucking genius, babe," Lizzie said deeply.

"Wh-what do you mean, Lizzie?" Sophia asked timidly, afraid that Lizzie had actually gone mental. It was, after all, a really stressful year for the school.

"This is an opportunity! Don't you see? If this keeps happening, we can preserve our recent falling rankings! Remember what happened last year when some papers for A levels were missing from other schools? The students get to count their Prelim examination grades! That means we can just give a Prelim that's so fucking easy everyone gets A, and "lose" their papers," Lizzie exclaimed. Sophia could have sworn she saw something flicker in her eye. She shook her head and left the wide smiling Lizzie in her office, thinking to herself: Man, she really is mental.

Scene 2 

Present Day

Jefferson Brown tossed and turned in his bed. He had a lot on his mind, from his pregnant girlfriend to his tanking studies to his re-breeding depression.

He woke up at 3 a.m. and left his dorm room, feeling very weary and ill-rested. With a yawn, he pressed the lift button and waited to go down toward the bar. 

"Hello there," came the deep voice of a woman, just as soon as he poked his head through the entrance. "What would you like tonight, darling?" she asked as she lit up a cigarette. 

"Smoking is allowed?" Jefferson blurted without thought, as the woman suddenly shoved a cigarette into his mouth before he could say anymore. She lit it up for him as he calmed down and took a long drag. 

"Well, then, darling? Have you decided?" continued the woman as she used her index finger to trace Jefferson's jawline.

"Please... stop..." Jefferson protested softly, even though he secretly enjoyed it. "A shot of suicide circus please," he quickly added before the woman lost her mood. 

"Coming right up, dear," said the woman excitedly as she went to the counter to whip the shot up. It was one of Jefferson's favourites - a complex blend of Absinthe, Cointreau and a spritz of cherry juice. 

"Let's get you a seat, shall we? It's 3 a.m., no one's around, why don't I join you?" said the woman excitedly, as she held the Martini glass while leading Jefferson to one of the sofa lounges at the back of the bar.

"Tell me your stories, darling. No one simply comes here at 3 a.m. for nothing, especially not on a school night," the woman invited, watching eagerly as Jefferson downed the glass and licked his lips. 

"My life fucking sucks man," Jefferson started with a low, hoarse voice. "My girlfriend is pregnant out of my own stupidity and my grades are tanking, my mind is a mess, my family hates me, the whole world hates me!" He suddenly shouted in agitation and slammed the Martini glass on the table.

"Sorry" he said softly, as he leaned over to pick up the shards, and used one to slice across his wrist. The woman leaned over and used her tongue to lick up the blood.

"Oh, you sweet summer child. This is not abnormal at all, I've had a shitty life for ages, it's fine. You're one of us," the woman replied.

"Wait, what do you -" Jefferson started but was shushed before he could say more. The woman went back to the bar counter, before returning with a namecard that said "Hannah Broxton". He suddenly received a tight slap on his cheek.

"Jeff! What the fuck man, you're sleep-talking again! Tomorrow, we are going to see the counsellor, together. And fuck Lizzie. Here, have some Hydroxyzine first. Go back to sleep and this time, sleep properly!" Jillian said as she stared in a mix of confusion and concern at Jefferson, who was none the wiser.

Scene 3

5 years ago

The only thing the passers-by could hear as they passed the dimly lit alleyway was screams, but no one knew where or who they came from. Jack watched with satisfaction as the muscled men in front of him raped the newcomer.

Oh, what a pity that she has the looks of a princess. That ain't gonna save her, what with the cruel world around here, Jack thought to himself. He gave a silent nod and a handsign to the muscled men, who stopped the raping and then robbed her of her handbag and her purse. The muscled men thanked Jack, who stayed behind as they left.

"You're beautiful, you really are," Jack whispered into Hannah's ear, as she was still unconscious. He then kissed her on her lips and left.

The next time Hannah woke up, she started to become a very different person. Amazingly, she remembered most of the encounter. Her life, right until then, flashed by in memories.

Memories of her days in Goldwind High, being at the top of the top on the leaderboard every single examination. Memories of all her jealous peers who could never outdo her in every exam. There was even once when she saw a classmate trying to poison her with a drink to prevent her from doing well. But she knew that it was not the real her. Everyone thought that she was studious and kind and quiet. Even her parents, who were both teachers, were very proud of her.

After finishing her A levels she managed to get a scholarship to go study law overseas. She knew she had abandoned her past self. 

What use was it to be the top student in such an elitist system? Now that she was free of its clutches, she could finally do whatever she wanted. The Hannah everyone knew was dead the moment she stepped out of the country.