The day of the results had finally come. Oliver set out for the capital at 8 in the morning. The elder and sister Mary wanted to go with him, but Oliver said he could manage on his own. He knew that sister Mary couldn't leave all the other children from the orphanage alone and the elder was busy with different things around the village, so he didn't want to make things harder for them. He told them that if the result is good, he will come back at the end of the week after he finishes his classes for the day. If the results are not the ones they hope for, he will be back around noon. Then, he gave them a hug and left.
He had his bags ready to move in the dorm, but passing the exam was not enough for him. He did pretty well on the exam, so the chances were pretty high that he got in, but he had to place in the first 3 so that he would get a scholarship. Otherwise, he couldn't afford it. Paying £30.000 was to much for him. Mainly, he was going to check if he reached his goal. If he hadn't, he was planning on going back in the village and working hard so that in a year or two he would afford to take the exam again. However, he was hoping with every atom in his body that he got one of those scholarships.
Being so preoccupied with the results and thinking about all possible outcomes and what he will do in every scenario, he didn't even realize when he reached the capital's main gate. After getting in, he went straight to the Academy. The results were posted on 3 big wooden boards. However, Oliver hadn't expected to see hundreds of carriages and people. All the other children were with a few attendants that were either searching for their master's name on the admitted lists or carrying heavy and expensive looking boxes. Some were leaving in tears from the boards and making small scandals and complaining about how unfair it was that the admission exam was so hard. Others were bragging about getting in while their attendants took their belongings to the dorms.
Oliver felt like the scene before him was somewhat obnoxious. He imagined that kids coming from a well off family might be a bit pretentious, but never had he imagined they would be so spoiled. He didn't even mind the fact that they had so many attendants doing everything for them, but the way they were ordering people older than them around and the way they either complained or bragged, exaggerating everything, really gave Oliver a shiver.
Yet, after looking for a bit longer, he saw that not everyone was like that. As he paid more attention, probably only about quarter of the children were like that, but they were noisy enough for everyone. Oliver looked around and saw William, who was at the first board and he looked like he found his name there. He had two attendants with him, but he was really nice to them. It was good to know that there are important people that still know how to respect others. William also saw Oliver and headed in his direction.
"Hi, Oliver! Have you checked the list, yet?" asked William.
"Hi, William! No, I haven't! I just got here." responded Oliver.
"If you want, I can tell you your result. I saw your name on the list while I was searching for mine." said William.
"Please do!" exclaimed Oliver.
"You were admitted and not only that, but you are in the Class 1S! Congratulations!" said William.
"Thank you? I don't really know what you mean by 1S, but i suppose it's something good from the way you put it." responded Oliver with a confused smile.
"I'm sorry for my inadvertence! The S Classes is composed out of the top 7 students from each year. They have more freedom and can choose some classes, while the mandatory ones they do at a much higher level than the rest of the students from the same year. Also, they have different perks like being allowed to take leaves of absence for longer periods of time, exiting school grounds whenever they want, going on various missions for different sums they negotiate with the Academy and a few others." explained William.
"Oh, that's awesome! Thank you for explaining this to me! However, could you tell me exactly what place I'm on, please? Even if I'm one of the top 7, I can't afford to attend the Academy unless I'm one of the top 3 and get that scholarship..." said Oliver with a decreasing excitement.
"Well... you are not 3rd place..." said William.
Oliver was sad, but not shocked... He had somewhat expected this. He didn't have lots of tutors like the others did and even if he did, he didn't believe about himself that he was the smartest person alive. He was at least happy that he made it in the top 7. That was itself a great accomplishment. However, he couldn't afford this school, so it was time to head back home... He could only hope that the villagers, sister Mary and the others from the orphanage won't be to disappointed about him wasting this opportunity.
He tried to keep a natural look, but he couldn't conceal his sadness completely.
"... you are 2nd place!!!" finished William.
Oliver was on the verge of tears. Why did he always have to overthink?!? This was the best news ever!!!
"Are you sure?!? Please don't joke about this!" said Oliver brimming with happiness.
"I believe my eyesight is actually very good, but if you think otherwise, you can go and check for yourself." said William slightly sarcastic.
"I am sure your eyesight is in perfect condition and I trust you, i really do, but I have to check myself! I'll be back in a sec!" rushed Oliver out his mouth as he ran to the first board. It was true! He was on 2nd place. The first place was occupied by none other than William Sapphire. He ran happily back to William, than adopted a serious and sarcastic tone:
"I wonder who that Sapphire boy is... I bet he's a nerd, judging by his score..." he said.
"Pfff... How da... Actually, that must be the case for both first and second place. Those scores are just too good..." responded William.
"I see you studied jokes and sarcasm in middle school, sir." said Oliver towards William.
"I could say the same about you, sir." responded William to Oliver.
They both had a good laugh and then went through the gate. They went to confirm their place at the Academy and then they were given keys for their rooms. Oliver was shocked at first when he heard he will have his own room, but when he actually saw it, he was speechless. His 'room' was actually an apartment. He had a bedroom, a dressing room, a living room combined with a dining room for 8 and his personal bathroom that was bigger than the room he had at the orphanage. William, on the other hand, wasn't impressed by his apartment, but rather about Oliver's reaction when he saw his own. Their apartments were on the same level of the dorm. They were practically in the same building as all the other boys, but they had a private access and no one besides the male students from the S Classes could enter. However, 2nd, 3rd and 4th years were moving in only next week, so William and Oliver weren't going to meet them for the next few days, but there were 2 more boys in the 1st year S Class, so they were hoping they could meet them soon.
Both of them went in their own apartment to unpack. Oliver was done in a few minutes. He didn't have a lot to do, really. William finished quite soon as well, due to the help of his attendants. After they were done, they looked for their classmates, but it looked like they hadn't arrived, so they decided to walk around the campus. The school campus was extremely big. A wealthy count donated all his assets to the Academy a few decades ago. He was a passionate researcher and he wanted to pass his knowledge to future generations, but he had no descendants, so he decided that he could at least invest in the future of others by leaving everything he had to a school after his death.
William and Oliver realized they couldn't see everything in one day, so they decided on checking out the main building, where they were going to have most of their classes. They wanted to go directly to their main classroom where they would meet every morning with their classmates and homeroom teacher, but William's attendants said that they had to leave because students were not allowed to have their personal servants with them on school grounds, only for a few hours on the day they moved in.
"Would you need anything else, Master William?" asked one of the attendants.
"Thank you very much for your help. I can manage on my own from here on." responded William.
"We wish you the best of luck! Also, your father discussed with the school principal and you are allowed to have your owl and hawk in your apartment for a faster and easier communication with your parents. They will be taken there this evening and a maid has been appointed to feed them and clean their cages every morning, after you leave for your classes so you are not disturbed by her." said the other attendant.
"I understand. Thank you for informing me! You are free to go now!" said William.
The attendants wished William and Oliver a good year, then they bowed and left.
"I can not believe my father... Everyone will say now that I am spoiled and that I got in first only because of my father..." said William annoyed.
" Well then why didn't you tell your attendants that you don't want them and that they should leave them home?" said Oliver confused.
"I have tried before things such as this and it never worked. He is very stubborn sometimes... I wouldn't mind, however, if this was the only thing he intervened for, but I have a feeling this is not all... Anyway, let's continue our tour..." sighted William.
"If you say so..." responded Oliver wondering what William meant by that.
They visited their main classroom first, then they walked around the school for a while, but then they saw a lot of other first years coming to see the school and decided to leave because it was going to get crowded.
On their way back to the dorms, William told Oliver about the fact that he can send letters home and that they would arrive in one or two days. All he had to do was write them and then take them to the school postal office that was next to the dorms. Oliver was excited to hear about this. He thanked William and when they arrived, he went directly to his apartment and wrote a letter, while William went to rest a bit.