6: Eastlanders (1)

Clouds ran in the sky as they covered the raging sun. Dews crystallize on top of the leaves reflecting the sunlight. The ground was wet and small puddles formed after a light rain.

Ripples appeared on the puddles as tiny mud hit on the surface. It persevered continuously until the last pair of feet passed by.

Such a wonderful spring-like morning welcomed a new nerve-wracking event.

Most of the grade 12 students paced back and forth in front of the bulletin board. The faculty teachers did not need 24 hours to complete checking their papers.

The total grade 12 students were only 156. No more, no less.

Albeit sacrificing a little of their personal time and overwork on that certain day, they felt no fatigue for they had already received a bonus that would total three months of their salary. Some visitors were willing to invest in this school just for the sake of scouting talents.

The students below grade 12 were amazed to see a sea of Seniors crowding the bulletin board in front of the Faculty Office.

They knew what they were anticipating seeing.

A while later, a fat teacher with a pair of thick eyeglasses walked out from the faculty bringing papers in his hand.

When he started to take a step, the grade 12 students made way for him subconsciously. He opened the glass shield of the bulletin, pinned the papers, and announced, “Assessment results are out!”

Before he could get away, he was pounced by a group of students.

“Hersey is first! Bangor is second!”

“Woah! Top two students from the same class!”

“It is expected for them to top the assessment since they specialize in technology and science.”

“Aren't we specializing in science, too?”

“Aw!”

“Science, yes! Social Science!”

“There are a lot of unfamiliar names... Huh?! The business and accounting class covered 7th to 23rd places!”

“Uh-oh! I am in 82nd place. Ridiculous!”

“…”

The scenery was totally chaotic. They were unable to discover that none of the exchange student's name was there.

And as usual, the last placer was the person who led almost all her classmates to top the assessment.

As for the class ranking, the Marx section was placed as the cream of the top while the class ranked to be last was unarguable the Socrates section.

“Alek, I thought you would be the top one,” said the girl, lamenting the tragedy of others.

Alek Cider glanced at her confusedly and add a meatball to the girl's plate. “Hmph! I am lucky enough to get a score and have a place in the rankings. And you should be glad to achieve 9th place. Our batchmates are astonished.”

“Never mind! I know you will say “I have no idea” if I tell you how you contribute to our rankings,” Elisabeth snorted then picked up the meatball and sent it to her mouth. She was in no mood, but the meatball was so delicious.

Alek Cider only shrugged and changed the topic. She listened to Elisabeth like a naive yet active kindergarten.

They chatted until they finished their meals. They stood up and part ways outside the cafeteria. After bidding goodbye, Alek Cider was left alone. She stared at the nothingness before moving.

Alek Cider hopped like a little rabbit on a wide prairie. Her mind was working fast, and ideas rushed into her head; she could not wait another minute to try the things on her mind.

She exited the gate after distracting the guard. Whether she attends classes or skips classes, her grades would still be kept at the most minimum.

After her, a pair of foreign students arrived at the gate. The guard inspected them when suddenly, a thick stack of banknotes was handed to him. Before he could react, the pair of foreign students exited the gate without a word.

He glanced at them and the money in his hand. “Gulp.” He subconsciously gulped after receiving such an amount. He counted it with his saliva drooping at the edge of his mouth.

5,000 IB.

He… He received two years’ worth of salary! He was rich! Finally rich!

While he was busy imagining what to do with his money, the three students who “escaped” from the school arrived at the slums.

Since the “houses” in the slums were densely packed, it became a place where hiding is almost perfect.

The two foreign students shadowed Alek Cider until she entered the house.

As someone with hypersensitivity, Alek Cider had long noticed the two “stalkers” behind her. Their aura was unique. She could distinguish the aura they emitted from other people.

When she closed the door of her tiny home, the plywood walls shook and some of the utensils fell.

“Co-” She muttered softly but cut her words before she could continue.

She remembered what Quinn said, “Don’t invite anyone while “playing” as it would also invite trouble.”

Instead, she covered the walls of her house with a cloth inside, living no hole to peek at.

Sounds of clanking and small explosions emerged inside the tiny hut.

The two foreign students were dying to know what that peculiar girl was up to.

“It’s been a while since she entered. The noise inside is like the initial parts of the factory machines those colleges are trying to make.” The girl with a natural spring-like curly hair said anxiously.

“Cannot-o say,” replied by a girl with a weird syllable by syllable accent. She then added, “For me, it sounded like oh… swors clanking on the ground repeatedly. No sound of pasting inside-o. Not-o science at all.”

[A/N: Swors is intentional]

“I understand your family culture is different, but can you please remove the “o’s” in your words? It is annoying!”

“Shh!”

The two shut their mouth and realized that someone admonished them from somewhere. They looked at each other and started to whisper.

“Grandpapa said if a third person joined a pair of people’s conversation, it is not human… Eek!”

“If you can stop scaring yourself in broad daylight, there would be no problems,” the curly girl replied sternly. “Maybe it is a mother in this neighborhood who wants to shut our mouths because her baby is sleeping.”

The other girl stuck out her tongue. She had no plans of replying to the curly girl.

They leaned their heads on the door of the house facing each other. They frowned hearing no commotion inside.

Has she finished her work?

They were still wondering when the door of the house opened, and their body fell straight on

the muddy ground inside the house.

Their cotton white uniform slowly dyed brown. Their faces masked with soil were filled with indescribable shock. What had just happened to them?

Alek Cider did not wait to see them react and immediately dragged them inside her house and shut the door close.

The two of them looked at their states with wide eyes. Is this kidnapping? Did they just got dragged inside the house of the person they are spying to? Did she bait us to follow her and she is actually a kidnapper?

“!!!”

“If you don’t want all three of us, to be harmed, better be quiet.”

Right after she said that voices emerged right in front of her house.

“The temperature is hot. Let us rest first. Boss would not know that we are dilly-dallying his order.”

Alek Cider stared gravely at the door where she heard the voices. There was only one thing on her mind, “What are these malicious people up to?”