Fifth Story: Two Sides of The Same Coin

Chapter 1

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

10 January 2022

"My dear students of 'A' High School. It is an honour to be able to speak in front of these bright minds of the nation here."

The new principal of 'A' High, Mrs Ngọc, holds onto her microphone and addresses the students in the schoolyard. They are desperately huddling together for warmth while somehow maintaining two impressive, neat files for each class. Some students are even rubbing their hands furiously and blowing into their hands. This scene is almost laughable, but also pitiful.

As the lengthy address goes on and on about what students should do, and how hard the life of a teacher is, several pupils are complaining among themselves about the cold weather. But surely most of them are thinking, "Why on Earth am I here? Why not hold the assembly in the gymnasium instead?"

Yến, the Student Council President and a student of class 11A4 which specialises in Japanese, is standing to the right of the stage with her hands behind her back, almost akin to standing to attention. She is a typical Vietnamese beauty: black eyes, long black hair, slender figure, with a calm and refined Hanoian disposition. The girl does not seem to be too bothered by the cold, though, which gives rise to some unfounded rumours about her family being Spartan in the upbringing of their children.

Oanh, the Chairwoman of the Communist Youth ('A' High School Branch), stands on the opposite side with her group. She is from class 10A4, also learning Japanese, and is Yến's younger sister. She is just as pretty as her sister, but for some reason, neither of them was one of the four Princesses of 'A' High. A perpetual frown is always on her face, which understandably intimidates other people so much such that they do not dare to approach her at all. As a result, she does not have many friends outside her circle in the Communist Youth.

For a brief moment, the sisters' eyes met and immediately they glare at one another as if one were going to murder the other. Then after another unbearably long five seconds, they finally break the staring contest and click their tongues, just softly so that only they can hear.

"What was that all about?" Thủy, a junior member of the Communist Youth, asks Châu Anh, who is responsible for her training. "Did these two just...?"

"Yeah, they were. But it ain't a good idea to bring this up now, lest Oanh gets mad at us."

Thủy and Châu Anh, from classes 10A5 and 11A9 respectively, are tired of standing in the schoolyard and listening to the principal's boring speech. Châu Anh is an athletic, energetic girl and is best friends with Mai, the girl who exposed the previous vice-principal's heinous crimes, while Thủy is an easy-going, naïve yet innocently insensitive girl who has a streak of asking difficult questions.

The Vice-President of the Student Council, a dashing young man named Hiếu who is a student of 12A7, also managed to perceive the strange behaviour of the two brilliant sisters. He says nothing, shakes his head and sighs deeply. An (1), the androgynous-looking female Secretary of the Student Council with an equally androgynous name, and pupil of class 11A4, merely looks at him with a puzzled expression.

"You don't get it, do you?" Hiếu asks his junior. "We don't exactly get along with our peers from the Communist Youth."

"Why?" she innocently asks. "I don't get it."

"Our previous principal, Mr Dũng, established the Student Council about five years ago. At that time, the Communist Youth accused us of misuse of power because the principal gave us a lot of power over budget matters and student welfare, which the other group was originally responsible for."