Ji and Nicho looked at my quiz answer sheet in amazement. After re-doing the quizzes which were almost no different from before, finally an A was on the top right of my answer sheet.
Nicho put his palm on my forehead and said, "Was this really the Brissia we know?"
I brushed his hand away and glanced at him displeasedly. While they were busy arguing with each other regarding my answer sheet, I saw someone standing behind the classroom window.
My memory of that day lasted longer than his glance at me through the window. He, who for the first time was worried about me, put away my grudge in an instant. I did wish that the teaching assistant would show his emotions, but never thought I would actually witness it.
"Luca Pacioli must've possessed her while she was taking her quiz!"
"Hah, nonsense! She would get an A plus if that person was the one who possessed him!"
I froze when the lovebirds looked at me together ambitiously. "It couldn't be you, right?" asked Nicho.
With a small chuckle, I answered, "It was me, believe it or not. Who else could it be?"
Honestly, I felt like they'd forgotten how similar that quiz was to the one I'd almost solved until the ceiling collapsed. I wonder if the time I was thrown at Archtier had anything to do with it.
"Aight, then. Do this often and you'll beat Keno's record for holding the best score since the first semester."
"Nicho! How could you sounded like her parents?!"
"Ah! Geez, right! My bad, Bris."
Hearing Nicho's expectations for me, I didn't say anything and simply smiled slightly. I was hoping so, Nicho, that my grades would have been always excellent. Not to topple other student records, but to silence my parents who endlessly demanded my reward for their 'generosity'.
"Nevermind. See you guys," I said as I got up from my seat.
Passing through the corridor, I met the sun waving at me from outside the window. It wasn't alone, but along with a dreamy blue sky. A gentle breeze caressed me along my way to somewhere not too far.
Arriving there, a strong, thick aroma wafted into my nose. I could still imagine the moment Ji, Nicho, and I sat together next to the window. Our favorite spot had become someone else's seat.
That someone was... the annoying teaching assistant.
I hurriedly stepped toward the tall chair facing the window, put my bag there, then walked as quietly as possible to the order counter. There weren't many visitors, but it would be good if I didn't run into him.
When I got back to my seat, I froze to see someone sat five meters beside me, passing the four empty seats to my left. It was the teaching assistant, typing on his laptop keyboard with a serious face.
His stern gaze was suddenly no longer fixed on the laptop, but on me. With Harris's face, he looked at me as if I was a target board for him, the archer.
Once there was no more typing sound, I could hear my crazy heartbeat. I sipped my coffee as loudly as possible. Oh, how I hated the silence that sounded so noisy to the two of us.
"How close are you to Mrs. Olivia?"
I choked on hearing that. His cold tone sent shivers down my spine. "Is... is that your problem?"
My answer furrowed his eyebrows and narrowed his gaze. He got up not long after, which was a success that I celebrated with a sigh of relief. However, before I could relax my body muscles long enough, someone dragged the chair beside me.
"Oh, my! I didn't expect to see you here, Brissia."
My eyes didn't blink when Mrs. Olivia sat beside me with a big smile. Her presence directed my gaze in another direction for a moment, especially at the teaching assistant who had just left the cafe.
"Did you run into him?"
Mrs. Olivia looked for a moment where I was staring before looking back at me with a nod. "But he didn't seem to notice me, Brissia. Shouldn't you be glad he left you alone?"
He left me with a black-haired woman who put him, me, and Harris in a dangerous situation. How could I be happy?
"What did you do when he knelt on the floor?"
Mrs. Olivia straightened her head while lifting her shoulders, "As I said, I simply gave him punishment for ignoring you."
I propped my chin up while staring out the window. Mrs. Olivia was clearly the most powerful person ever, although the origins of her extraordinary abilities were unclear. With Mrs. Olivia by my side, I'd be able to make the teaching assistant kneel before me and my parents would no longer expect more from me.
However...
"Speaking of Harris, are you worried about him?"
My thoughts were scattered as Mrs. Olivia asked it to me. I shook my head quickly as I caught the meaning of her question, but it bothered me later. The memory of when my footsteps brought me to Mr. Siger's door surfaced. I felt the relief that burst out of my heart when I found him again.
Nevertheless, didn't I worry about him because someone's memory was at stake?
***
I had dinner in the dining room with my parents after a long time. The various dishes neatly served on the wide teak table seemed to be mere jewelries for them to show off to people in the hanging television at the side of the room.
My parents's relatives were sharing their dinner at their respective places. Seeing how my parents toasted their upbringing sickened me. But what could I do? They were all watching me.
When I lay down on the bed, my gaze couldn't escape the sky outside the window. The stars seemed to be singing in the vast dance hall called night. Their lullaby was so melodious that it brightened their luster.
Sometimes, I thought about how lucky the moon was to be side by side with the stars in the sky. However, the stars didn't help the moon shine bright. It was the sun.
Drowsiness came over me, drowning me in the silence of the night. If sleep again took me somewhere I didn't expect, I hoped to dream of a 'place' I really wanted to be.