The exam hall held that unexplainable environment of pin-drop silence. The syncing sound of ink scribbling against the paper and the flips of papers were the only noise in the room.
The invigilators moved their heads from side to side eyeing the total of a hundred students at once.
The one caught cheating will be forever banished from entering any exam hall or even the country because this exam chose the future elite of the country.
A drop of sweat from Junuka's head fell into the answer sheet, but there was no time to rub it off her head as there was nothing to rub it off with as the sleeves of the shirt were rolled in order to check if anyone attempted to cheat by writing on their hand. Fortunately, no one did.
It is heard that last year, the second son of the magistrate did that trick, got caught and was directly sent to the local jail for three years as the ultimate punishment.
In the hall of comparatively rich kids, Junuka was the only student who was the daughter of a maid. On other occasions, she felt inferior to them but today, everyone seemed to be sitting on the same ground as her and wearing the same blue exam cloth similar to her. Her mind was somewhat at ease as if half of her mission to be equal to them was completed.
A few years ago, after receiving constant bickering and bullying, it was enough for her;
It was the occasion of the River Festival. Junuka went to the festival fair with the little money she received from her mother that morning.
She wanted to have the special sweet made by the famous sweet maker who roams around the nation from province to province, fair to fair to sell his sweets. She had this sweet once in her life when she was nine years old. Even after four years, she was unable to take it savoury out of her mind.
Finally, she sigh as she stops before the sweet vendor. She spoke to the shopkeeper the way she tried in front of her mirror, "Can you pack me Kamalai please."
The shopkeeper eyed the little girl in front of him. Her clothes, hair and aura gave away her status. He had the urge to ask if she will be able to afford it, but had his common sense intact to him to consider that it would be an insult to her than his curiosity.
"Sure, how much would you like?", he asked smiling.
"How much can I afford in 16 pent?", she asked.
"One Kamalai is 40 pent child, maybe you can have ummm… two-fifths of one whole."
Junuka blinked her eyes as she looked at the shopkeeper. Maybe… she made a mistake. Maybe, at first, she should have asked for the price like her mother does.
But in contrast, she never thought a Kamalai would be this costly. She pursed her lips and looked at the shopkeeper but saw him grinning at her.
"It was a joke, here you go.", He gave her the sweet wrapped up in the banana leaf.
Junuka's eyes shone with delight as she looked at the offering.
She shoved her hand in her skirt's pocket, took out the money and made the payment but before she could step out of the shop, she heard an annoying cry, "Daughter of maid."
It was the voice of Hasnahana, the daughter of the rich merchant.
"Young miss, how may I help you?.", Junuka replied with a bow.
Hasnahana looked at the banana leaf packet in Junuka's hand and raised her brows in suspicion.
"I lost some of my pent on the way here, have you seen it?"
Junuka took a deep breath as she realised that she had come across trouble without causing any.
"No, young miss. How much did you lose? I can help you to find it.", Junuka offered.
"I lost about 60 pent.", Hasnahana pouted her lips. "Leave it."
She turned to the shopkeeper and asked, "How much for one Kamalai?"
"40 pent, Young Miss."
Hasnahana and her friend gasped. They unison turned their head to look at Junuka who was looking at them too.
"I was wondering, how a cheap little thing like you could afford Kamalai, but now my doubts are clear."
"I swear to god, young miss, I have not stolen your money."
Junuka voiced out, expecting Hasnahana to believe her but little did she know that Hasnahana had an actual motive of framing her.
"Nobody believes in you, don't try to defame god with your dirty act. Give me the rest of my pent and I will forgive you.", Hasnahana intentionally shouted for people in the street to hear her voice.
"I don't have any money to return you Young Miss. Please, believe me."
"Junali and Torali, capture her hand, I must check her pocket.", Hasnahana ordered her friends.
"There's no need for inspection, I offered her one Kamalai for 16 pent not 40.", Said the shopkeeper.
"What's your name?", asked Hasnahana to the shopkeeper.
"I am brother to you, you can address me as brother.", said the shopkeepper.
Hasnahana blinked her eyes at the audacity of this young shopkeepper, "Whatever, but don't you think it's a straight up discrimination to charge three times the price in compare to her?"
"It's my choice to charge her any price I want and please, don't create any chaos in my shop. Or else I will be bound to throw three of you out of my shop."
Hasnahana didn't bother to reply him, she took the banana leaf pack from Junuka's hand and indicated Junali and Torali to do their work. Both of the girl grabbed each hand of Junuka and dragged her out of the shop.
Hasnahana's pitched voice grabbed the attention of the fair attendee. A crowd was formed in front of the shop looking at the drama going on between the four girls.
Hasnahana stood before Junuka and start searching her pocket. She disgustingly shoved her hand in Junuka's pocket and took out some pent out of nowhere.
"Here!", she displayed the money on her hand to eveyone. "I heard you say that you don't have any pent, how could I get 20 pent from your pocket?"
"I don't know, I am…", Before Junuka could complete her sentence, her speech were ditorted by a slap.
The crowd gasped with the sound made by the impact of the slap, even the shopkeepper came out of the shop to look at the girls.
Hasnahana looked at the shopkeeper and smiled cunningly. She took out the sweet from the banana leaf packet, dropped it on the ground and stepped on it.
"Lick the sweet off my shoe, daughter of maid.", Hasnahana said.