Kiefer looked down in astonishment.
Others weren't the wiser either.
Apparently, a plate of croissant was placed on the white table cloth resting on the desk before them.
It was never there.
Yet had somehow materialized its way to the desk without alerting anyone.
How cunning, Kiefer thought.
A puzzled Grayson tapped Kiefer,
'what's this?' He said, 'there was never any food here on this desk to begin with.'
'I have no idea, either,' Kiefer said, 'I'll eat it though, I'm starving.'
He realized that every other person was taking a bite as though in perfect unison, so he followed.
Bringing the croissant to his mouth, he bit off a nice chunk and briefly chewed on it
before swallowing.
It was then he heard series of thumping sounds, sounds if desks being struck.
Looking up, he stared in absolute bewilderment as everyone in that hall slowly dropped lifelessly onto the desk.
Clutching the edges of the desk, he looked towards Grayson and also found him prostrated on top of the desk.
Slowly, Kiefer could feel an easing in his neck and blurring of his eyes.
His movement was slow and sluggish and soon, his head conjuring a number of swirling colours before his eyes.
Slowly, he lost his bearings and felt his head hit the surface of the desk like a heavy rock meeting rock bottom when tossed into the vast sea.
********
Three swift jets were gliding through the atmosphere at insane speed.
The students had been put to sleep to keep them unaware of the direction of the flight.
The sedative was supposed to keep them asleep for a couple of hours and that was all they needed.
'We should've informed them,' Master Vlad, a woman deep into her thirties, said,' it definitely caught them by surprise. I doubt if they'd be eating a dessert from the restaurant again.'
Master Lorenzo sipped his tea and reclined further on his couch. Currently they were bound for the prestigious institution, Qichi Lake Academy.
They wanted to arrive there before the anesthesia administered to the students wore off.
'Informing them is alright,' he started, 'initiating their compliance is another. Do you think we'd be here by this time if we didn't sedate them without their notice?'
Master Vlad drew in a sharp breath and said;
'well, it's okay as long as we give them an explanation when we reach the academy and they're fully conscious.'
'Of course,' Master Lorenzo said.
Reclining further, he put on his sleeping mask and dozed off into a well deserved rest.
Lately, he had been incredibly swarmed by his numerous trips from one country to another.
His position as the general director of Qichi Lake Academy didn't put him in the position to take some rest, as he had wrongly thought even before he became one.
He had to attend various compulsory conference meetings and meet up with various government organizations in the past three months.
That alone caused him to hurtle from one country and one state to another.
Master Lorenzo had another conference meeting in Egypt in about two weeks.
He would be meeting up with an institution that will sign the contract QLA will be put on in order to operate in other regions of Africa.
It was a big opportunity he wasn't planning to miss.
Most of the academy's donators and exquisite members resided in Africa.
The reason for this was the obvious expansion in business and entrepreneurship that the various countries in Africa faced in recent times.
One wouldn't miss out on such when he found out it could seriously impact on the future of his expertise.
********
Soon three graceful black jets glided smoothly onto a grassy expanse of land.
The noon sky was clear and brilliant blue, stretching out endlessly above QLA like a vast ocean of color.
It was the golden hour, only it occurred in the evening.
The sun hung high in the sky, a bright orb radiating warmth and light, casting a soft golden glow over the matter below.
Fluffy white clouds drifted lazily across the expanse, like cotton balls scattered across a canvas.
If one were to stand in front of the entrance to the academy, at the far end of the prestigious institution, overlooking the colossal structure, he will see that to the extreme right of the setting, there existed some sort of a hangar.
Not a regular one but quite impressive with a look very much futuristic.
Soaring amidst the towering trees, its sleek design melded with the natural beauty of the forest around it and the colossal building of Qichi Lake Academy just beside.
Its large windows offered stunning views of the lush surroundings in its very reflection.
To strain one's eyes would mean to take notice of the immense state-of-the-art technology and equipment that filled the spacious interior, blocked by various jets of two colors; black and grey, the very colors that symbolize power and opulence.
The jets that conveyed the individuals exposed to the Weave from the outside world into this serene space were nestled inside this sleek hangar.
Inside the body of the main jet that transported these people, along the aisle that was flanked by three rows of seats every plenty inches, a few workers walked briskly towards the front, ready to welcome these individuals to the great institution.
They were clad in flowing coats and modern accessories that spoke volumes of sophistication.
As the timer for the sedative ticked to an obvious end, the hosts and hostesses readied their bells to be rung at time up.
Ding... Ding... Ding...
The chimes and pangs of the rung bells echoed across the entire cabin, sending a ripple of shock through the still air.
Ding... Ding... Ding...
The bells were rung again.
At the presence of these individuals in QLA, they could then be addressed as students of the noble institution.
Stirring awake, the students awoke grudgingly from the very much unwanted sleep they were thrusted in.
A deep voice resounded amongst others;
'Where are we?'
A murmur and very detailed screams rented the air.
Someone screamed from the back;
'THIS IS ABDUCTION!!!'
The bell was rung yet again, instilling quiet in the troubled crowd.
The male chief air host stepped forward,
'Good day, everyone, welcome to Qichi Lake Academy, he said,'we aplologize deeply for the uninformed sedation but you must understand that this is a general practice one must undergo before setting foot here in QLA.'
He paused and took in the environment.
'The path to this institution is unknown and is not meant to be known by the general public.
'To arrive at QLA, then one must have booked a flight with the team here in QLA online and must await the arrival of the plane over at QLA's airport, as have occured with you all.'
He continued;
'Now students, you will all follow the counselor and student affairs manager, Master Pierre here, to pick up your luggage and your slips for your assigned rooms.'
Master Pierre waved to the students as he walked down the aisle to stand next to the chief air host.
'Hello, everyone,' he started with a smile, 'I am Pierre Dupont, you may call me Master Pierre. Welcome to Qichi Lake Academy, I will be your appointed counselor and student affairs manager.
'Please pick yourselves up and get ready to receive your slips, tomorrow a message will be passed on to start a tour of this academy.'
Opening his mouth to say one last sentence, Master Pierre started;
'And, lest I forget, there are quite a number of rules each and every one of you will be taught and expected to abide by while here at Qichi Lake Academy.'
It was a series of applause rendered by the crew of hosts and hostesses that followed the last statement made by Master Pierre.