~~Ashley's POV~~
The D-Day was finally here. I'd worked my ass off to make sure I understood most of the topics covered in this course, a bid to excel in the test.
My ardent preparation didn't however completely erase my jitters. The dead silence in the room featured by the sound of rustling papers as the lecturer distributed our scripts, panged my sanity. I was disturbed, but in all, determined to excel in flying colors. We were about to write an investigative course, and so I deemed it necessary to boost my intellect.
'If I can comfortably scale through, I could be able to gain more use in solving Makayla's case,' I advised myself.
My script was finally here. Tugging my heart to my throat as it landed on my table. Like that was not enough, the lady who'd just dropped it wouldn't move on, forcing me to lift my eyes to her. Her thick bushy brows were crunched slightly in a snide scowl, her eyes showcasing a feeling I somehow understood. I could read her doubts in my preparedness for this test. And that was well expected as my true feelings stayed clear of my visage.
I lazily pulled my eyelids down, adjusting the paper to skim through the questions before she finally resumed her steps.
"Your time starts now," her stern voice announced a few minutes onward, triggering another string of paper rustlings as the students began flipping through.
The first question read: "Justice" from different points of view can be conflicting. In your view what is Justice? Quite simple. But technical. A few others were in that light, but ultimately, I got my pen moving on the third question.
It was almost unbelievable how seamlessly the process flowed. All it took was a measly couple of minutes to get absorbed to the point that I didn't notice someone standing beside me until my paper was forced out of my grip.
'What the hell?' I stressed inwardly.
Lifting my eyes to the source of the ruckus, standing there was the same grumpy-looking lady staring down at me with different eyes. The spite now dripping from her eyes was on a whole new level.
"Ma…"
"I knew the apathy in your eyes wasn't to be trusted!" she cut me off with a rebuke.
What was this all about?
"Miss Ashley Sinclair. Were you cheating on the test?"
'Cheating on the test?' my inner voice reechoed, pulling me up to my feet. I would never! I let my awestruck expression protest.
"Then what in the world was this!" She held up a rumpled paper to my face. "Doing beside your desk?" The silence died at this point. Indistinct chatters emerged from every corner in response. How was I even supposed to answer to that?
Letting my impulse lead, I made to grab the paper when she pulled her hand away, giving me an evil eye. "You've changed, Ashley." She shook her head.
I parted my lips to speak but that was it. With flutters, it went shut again.
"You have defied our code of conduct, Ashley."
"I would never cheat, Ma'am," I managed to speak up, my voice cracking. I couldn't afford a bland reaction at this point. "Defying" any code of conduct attracted grave consequences of which a suspension was the least.
"Then how do you explain a piece of paper with possible answers beside your desk?!" she yelled.
"I…I…I…"
"Save it!" Raising my seized script to my face, she split it down the middle, instigating my jaw to drop. After which she repeated the action from different angles, leaving the papers in shreds by the time she was done. "You are facing the panel and there is no weaseling your way out of this one."
No! My heart skipped two beats.
Mrs. Briggs was the head of the disciplinary committee, and once violation cases were brought to her table, the worst possible punishments were meted. She was that cruel. And how worse could my situation get now that I was apparently "caught in the act" by none other than Mrs. Briggs herself?
I wasn't cheating. I would never! I knew I was innocent. But how on earth was I supposed to prove that?
My head was in shambles. I was doomed. This was a mess I wasn't sure how to swim out of. Aimlessly roving my tensed eyes for solutions I wasn't even sure existed, they paused on Daniil. The majority of the class already had their orbs feasting on me while he remained glued forward, acting indifferent to the mayhem.
"I'm afraid, you'll have to co Ashley," her voice resounded, nipping my existing terror. She then turned around to leave, a gesture that signified I followed suit.
Of course, I was anything but hasty. Reluctantly, my pleading eyes located Daniil. He somehow managed to come through for me whenever I needed him most. Although I'd warned him to stay off, this was just me searching for any ray of hope. Even if this came from the pit of hell, I wouldn't mind. I just wanted to be freed from the allegations as falling into her trap was equivalent to digging my grave.
'Please do something!' my inner voice begged, subconsciously hoping he was the same stubborn guy who wouldn't back off simply because I told him to.
"Ashley!" the panging voice harshly jolted me out of reality. I moved my eyes in its direction to find her down the aisle while I hadn't moved an inch.
"C … c … coming," I stuttered, my eyes still lingering on him. He did not budge. I felt my eyes grow wet when he wouldn't budge and immediately wiped them off.
"I'm going to use you to set an example for your colleagues," she went on to warn in a serious tone as she gestured to the class.
"I'm afraid that won't be possible." A smooth deep voice cut through the silence that ensued.
I halted in my tracks, as well as the woman in hers, directly beside Daniil. Was he the one who said that? Had his voice always been that majestic?
Listing her face down to him, she asked, "Did you say something?"
His head moved in an up-and-down motion as he nodded without a word.
"Quits cheeky of you. So tell me ––" she inclined her body to face him, her interest obviously growing deeper. "Are you going to be the example instead? And pay for her crimes?"
"There are no crimes to be paid for." He shrugged indifferently before finally lifting his face to her.
"Excuse you?" Her voice sounded peeved, probably spited by the indistinct murmurs that ensued after his statement. " She was caught cheating!"
"Did you see her do it?"
"Then why was this found lying on the floor?" she argued, holding up the squeezed piece of paper.
"Unless she's the dumbest person on planet earth, I don't see why she'd leave evidence of her misdeed lying carelessly on the floor."
I darted my eyes thoughtfully. He was right. Why didn't I think of that?
"Quiet!" she hushed the entire class when the murmurs grew stronger. I was clearly not the only one who saw the point he was making.
"How do you prove she's innocent?" she questioned, staring daggers at him.
"Easy." He shrugged like whatever he was going to say was common sense. "Compare the writings on both."
"Compare the writings on both"? Why didn't I think of that?
Now her eyes were lasering, her pride getting squashed in the face of his indifference. He just sat there and made valid points she could not refute. And she knew it also. But accepting this was as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack for her. The way she glared back at him made me start to wonder if the confrontation was a good idea. Even though the confidence in Daniil's voice never lagged, making him speak with full trust in me, things were bound to go haywire if this was a well-hatched plan from the onset.
"How do I prove that? Too bad her paper is in shreds now," she stated with a hint of superiority in her tone, holding on to that string for support. If this whole thing could not be proven, she could very well manipulate the ruling to be in her favor, automatically claiming the victor's seat.
I didn't like the direction this was heading. With the humiliation dished by Daniil, I was sure to get a fiercer punishment.
"I can help piece up her papers," another voice rang through the hall, hauling each one's attention to Archer raising his hand up.
Every pair of eyes on him beamed with a tinge of thrill – as the unfolding drama seemed to be more interesting – except Mrs. Briggs'. Hers had nothing but spite toward Archer. His suggestion was valid, and if she said no without any concrete reason, then eyebrows were gonna be raised at that. Nothing was promising about her expression. In fact, she looked like she could shun Archer and walk away unscathed. Well, news flash. She actually could. But then, a part of me bet on her pride that would compel her to see this to the end to make sure to justify herself.
Her silence became threatening the longer it lasted. My theories could go up in smoke if she decided to do the opposite. Just then, she turned around and walked out silently. That meant we could do whatever we wanted, and I heaved a sigh of relief.
My grateful eyes sought for Daniil. He still had his back against me, but that didn't stop the 'thank you' that resounded at the back of my head.