"I think there's a ghost... but it seems this one can't... handle it? I mean, can't come out?" She added, her confusion evident.
"Can't come out?" I echoed, my curiosity piqued. "What makes you say that?"
Lenna fidgeted with her fingers, avoiding my gaze. "Well... I can sense its presence, but it's... faint. Like it's trapped or something."
"Trapped?" I repeated, a sense of unease settling over me. "That doesn't sound good."
"Yeah, it's... unsettling," Lenna admitted, her voice barely a whisper. "I've been feeling it for a few days now, and it's getting stronger. I'm afraid something bad might happen if we don't do something."
"I'll go to your house after the exam, okay?" I said, offering her a reassuring smile.
"Yeah, thanks. I'll head back to class now," Lenna nodded and left me in the hallway.
Walking back to the classroom, IM was waiting for me at the door. "What happened?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Just a little thing," I replied, my voice casual. "After school, you can go back home alone. I'll be going to Lenna's house."
IM raised an eyebrow, a playful smirk tugging at his lips. "Oh, so it's a date then?"
I rolled my eyes. "It's not a date, IM. She just needs some help with something."
"Sure, sure," IM chuckled, not entirely convinced. "Whatever you say, Romeo."
I shook my head, amused by his teasing. "Just go home and get some rest. I'll see you later."
IM nodded and headed back into the classroom.
As I sat at my chair, the bell rang and the exam started. The room fell silent, except for the occasional rustle of paper and the scratching of pencils. While some students were diligently working on their accounting papers, others, like Marcel, seemed to have given up and resorted to doodling.
I closed my eyes and focused my will. Time stopped.. no one can moved or looked any other thing.. I imagined, pouring all my concentration into the thought.
Suddenly, the world froze. The ticking clock on the wall halted, the rustling of papers ceased, and even the dust motes hanging in the air became suspended. There was an eerie stillness, a complete absence of movement or sound. I tried to take a breath, but my lungs couldn't expand. A coughing fit seized me, my body desperate for oxygen.
I can breathe even when time is stopped, I imagined, willing my body to adapt to the unnatural state.
Cough! Cough! The coughing subsided, and I could finally breathe again, a sense of relief washing over me.
"Shit... I didn't know stopping time would also stop the oxygen..." I muttered to myself, then started walking from table to table, glancing at everyone's papers.
Even though I could imagine myself being smart, I didn't want to overwhelm my brain with all those X, Y, Z calculations. I wanted them to figure it out on their own, without any "human" help. It was their exam, after all.
I looked at Nadine's paper. She had just started, but her paper was already filled with answers. Moving on to Monik, she was still on question number one. I continued checking the others' papers, a mix of curiosity and amusement bubbling within me.
As I scanned the room, I noticed a stark contrast between the students' progress. Some, like Nadine, seemed to be breezing through the exam, their answers confidently written in neat handwriting. Others, like Marcel, were clearly struggling, their papers filled with crossed-out calculations and frustrated scribbles.
A pang of sympathy tugged at my heart as I saw the stress etched on their faces. Exams could be a daunting experience, even for the most prepared students. I wished I could help them all, but I knew that wasn't the right thing to do. They needed to learn, to grow, to face challenges on their own.
I stopped by Rayhan's desk, curious to see how he was faring. To my surprise, his paper was completely blank. He was staring at the exam questions, his brow furrowed in concentration, his pencil hovering over the paper.
He hasn't even started yet? I thought, a wave of concern washing over me. Rayhan was a good student, but he often struggled with math. I knew he was probably feeling overwhelmed, his anxiety paralyzing him.
I decided to check on another classroom, hoping to find someone who could help Rayhan. I walked outside, taking advantage of the frozen silence, and made my way to classroom 11-3. I didn't know many people there, but one girl stood out in my memory as the smartest one in the class. I just couldn't remember her name. Well, let me take a look at her paper.
"Pila... that's her name. Already on question number 10, huh?" I said to myself, still in the midst of the time stop.
I glanced at her answers, quickly confirming they were all correct. Perfect, I thought with a smirk.
I carefully tore a small piece of paper from the table next to her and started writing down every answer.
"Thank you, Pila. I'll give you something sometime," I said to myself, feeling a bit guilty but justifying it as helping a friend in need.
I continued this pattern, seamlessly slipping in and out of the time freeze, copying Pila's answers onto the scrap of paper until the first exam was complete.
Finally, time resumed its normal flow. The classroom remained quiet, but in 11-3, Pila felt something strange in her shirt pocket.
She reached in and pulled out a wad of cash. "Huh... where did this come from?" she whispered, her eyes wide with surprise.
Meanwhile, back in my own classroom, I sat back and relaxed while everyone else was still struggling with the exam. I had already finished, thanks to Pila's answers.
I couldn't help but smirk, knowing that I had aced the exam without even breaking a sweat. IM, on the other hand, was still scribbling furiously on his paper, his brow furrowed in concentration. I glanced over at his answers, and couldn't help but chuckle. He had indeed filled in every blank with numbers over 1,000, creating a nonsensical jumble of figures.
"IM, you're not seriously going to hand that in, are you?" I whispered, trying to suppress my laughter.
He looked up at me, a sheepish grin on his face. "Hey, it's better than nothing, right?"
I shook my head, amused by his antics. "You're hopeless," I said, but there was a fondness in my voice.
The bell finally rang, signaling the end of the exam. The students let out a collective sigh of relief, their faces etched with exhaustion. IM and I gathered our things and headed out of the classroom, the chatter and laughter of our classmates filling the air.
IM and I leaned on the window, looking outside at the people playing in the schoolyard.
"You should give me some power for that answer," IM protested, nudging me playfully.
"It's my power," I retorted, grinning.
"But we are one," he countered, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
I chuckled, shaking my head. "Nice try, IM."
Just then, a soft voice interrupted our banter. "Xian...?"
I looked towards the door and saw Pila standing there, a hesitant smile on her face. "Yeah?" I replied, curious as to why she was seeking me out.
"Um... I just wanted to thank you," Pila began, her voice filled with a mix of gratitude and confusion. "For the... money."
I raised an eyebrow, a playful smirk tugging at my lips. "Oh, you found it then?"
She nodded, her gaze dropping to the floor. "Yes. It was in my pocket, and it had your name on it... How did you put it there in the first place?"
I chuckled, enjoying her bewilderment. "Let's just say I have my ways," I replied, keeping the mystery alive. "Consider it a reward for your help."
Pila's confusion deepened. "Oh... well, thank you, but for what?"
I shrugged, "Thanks for everything, I guess?"
"Everything? But we don't even talk..." she said, her voice trailing off.
I flashed her a knowing smile. "Let's just say I appreciate your intelligence and your willingness to help others."
Pila put her hand on her hips, a curious expression on her face. "Help others?"
"Forget about that... I just wanted to give that money to you," I said, trying to brush it off.
"Oh... well, thank you again," she said, her voice soft. "But I really can't accept it. It's too much."
"No, it's not," I insisted. "Consider it a scholarship or something. You deserve it."
Pila hesitated for a moment, then a small smile appeared on her face. "...Thanks. See you around," she said, turning and leaving us in the hallway.
< Chapter 149 > Fin.