Chapter II:
Prologue
Somewhere, cooped up in a dark and mouldy classroom, a girl weeps bitterly.
Right next to her right is a detached gas pipe alimenting a gauze, on the left are patches of spilled fluid and in front of her is a poorly wiped blackboard with some chemical symbols on it.
And all around the classroom, slabs are disseminated with glass equipments spread out on them.
This setting is dimly lit by a beam of light seeping through the aperture between the unlocked door and its frame.
Hiss! Hisss! Hissing of gas!
"sob!..uwahh! Ahh!"
The quiet room bears the echoes of her broken voice. It is a heart wrenching cry that resonates through to the empty halls of the building.
A cry that none would hear. A cry for which there is no solace.
Beat and Worn out
8am; Velary sets out for school.
Step!step!step!
Her lively steps from last night have become heavy again and the brightness that defined her face has turned into a sullen look.
A look that says something within the lines of "another day".
Yes. That is a line Velary said already. Still her body could not help emphasizing it further.
As she walks lazily to the bus stop, she stares around her casually and sighs at the notice of the least smile on the passers-by's faces.
The walk is quick, yet long and the air is breezy, yet dense.
Some minutes later, she boards the bus and moves over to the last seat. Next to her on that seat is a salary worker in suit and a case at his feet.
Then next to the salary man is a young mother and her baby.
Five different people on that seat from different works of life with a common objective,
"how to deal with today".
Well, that is at least what Vela wants to imagine they are thinking.
"Young lady, could you please scoot over? It's getting tight for the young mom", the salary man asks gently.
"Oh! Alright. Sorry miss. I didn't mean to cause any inconvenience.", Vela responds apologetically.
"It's alright girl.", the mother answers and stands to fix her position.
"So I'll have to carry this backpack anyway huh", Vela thinks to herself.
And..another sigh.
The salary man is quick to notice her broodiness. He steals a glance as if to scan the situation and asks quietly, "Feeling beaten by the day already student?"
Surprised at the sudden question, Vela looks at him dubiously. Then she raises back her furrowed eye brows and answers in a shy tone, "uhh...yess.."
"Hahaha!..", the man laughs, again, silently.
His low voice comes asking again, "...Do you think you can reach the end of it then?"
"I'll try...no. I will!"
Vela shouts out her response this time like affirming the statement with no hidden doubt. The other passengers stare with confusion and the shame sinks back in.
She folds back into her seat and stays mute.
But again, her answer calls for her neighbors laughter. He chuckles at her words non-stop.
He the calms down and says, "I am sure you will student".
"why?", she asks in confusion.
"Because you're worn out..."
Vela's confusion grows bigger.
Then he explains, "..It is only when you are beat that you get worn out. And if you are beat, it means you fought the battle. The battle is probably an early one for you today, but it is a fight nonetheless. And if you have the determination to carry on with all the weights on you right now,..."
He says this as he glances at her backpack, her uniform and her shoes and continues, "...then believe me, you will make it through the day. And every other day after that."
His words which Vela would probably be aware of; subconsciously at least, took her by storm. It was as if a life changing realisation had struck her without warning. It was "wisdom", she thought.
So after that, her curiosity got the best of her and she exchanged with this stranger whom she was meeting for the first time until she arrived at school.
About 15 minutes later,
Chiming of alarm!
Upon arriving at Vela's destination, the bus's alarm chimes thrice, then it squeaks and hisses as its brakes are set.
All those sounds inform her that her nice talk is over.
A hint of disappointment clouds her face while she rises to leave. But she turns back and presents herself to the salary man's surprise, "Velary Wise, sir".
She stretches her hand for a shake, but he stares on silently.
"Velary.. Wise..", he repeats slowly and finally shakes her hand.
"..quite an uncommon name", he adds.
"Indeed sir", she replies brightly.
He smiles back at her and replies, "Unai Lenin".
"An unusual name as well", she remarks jokingly.
"Haha! I know. I recognize my kin-"
"Student, please, exit the bus", the bus driver cuts their exchange short again and the goodbyes follow.
Now outside, Velary is hit from all sides by the meteors of school again. The crowd of students, the unending and perhaps, unnecessary chattering amongst students and The resounding alarms. She is brought right back into the eye of this, "cyclops", someone whispers the word in her back.
"Hahaha! What is it? Defeated by the cyclops already?"
"Chelsea!", Vela brightens up again upon seeing her friend.
"Just getting here huh. Last night was long again", says Chelsea.
"Why do you guys keep teasing me about this. I slept off this time", Velary replies amicably.
"Uh uh! Even Gladys agrees with me, don't you, Gladys?", Chelsea doubles.
"..Yeah!", a tall, tanned and bespectacled girl adds to Chelsea's tease.
Vela's friends stare at her with grins and all three soon end up laughing loudly.
But their cheerful reunion is soon interrupted by the gate monitor.
"Alright students! Get out'a here! When you're in school on time, you make sure to get to class on time as well! Come on! Shoo!..yes keep it moving."
At the same time, in the girls' classroom, a teacher steps in and exhorts the students to get in place.
"Alright. Students! Calm down. A new day dawns on us and life takes its toll yet again on our weary souls"
"Woohooohooo!"
"Oh yh!!"
"Preach sir!"
The students rage with cheering and praise at his words as if to hype him.
And he follows them in their banter, "That was it for today. One phrase per day guys"
"Aww!..", the class exclaims in unison.
"We will be there sir!", a boy shouts out and the class goes laughing again.
"Yh yh Mike."
The three girls stand and watch the euphoria at the door, waiting for the teacher to let them in.
And he does not fail to notice them.
"Yep! Missus Wise, Lady Manuel and Madame Stones. You grace us with your glorious presence", the teacher greets them sarcastically.
"..hm?!", the man pauses to check them and realizes..
"One person is absent sir", a student points out.
"Oh! Yes. The -", before the teacher can end his phrase, a chorus accompanies his words, "Queen!!".
The students shout out and laugh again.
"Yes, yes! Where's queen Thomas?!", he asks in a sly tone.
"..Here..I am sir", Lisa responds from within the class with a raised hand.
With a joking look, the teacher goes,
"Oh! One of the musketeers is apart from the band. But what pray tell happened to this solid group?"
"Preach sir!", a boy shouts out.
Strangely, though repetitive, the words still get the rest to laugh loudly.
"Hahaha! Come on! Come in girls. Have your seats. But please.."
"...It's not jokes that'll salvage you on a subsequent penalty"
The girls stoop apologetically and rush to their seats. Then comes their Math teacher at once.
Lessons set to start, Vela takes another breather and sets to take them on as well.
Ticks come during a class and toks go during a break. The seemingly never ending morning soon gives way to the beautiful twilight. And for some students, the beauty of ths evening would only be a luxury.
"Let's go Gladys. We're having extensive Physics today", Lisa comes pouncing on Gladys.
"Yeah yeah! I know Lisa. But..", Gladys answers and drops her head.
Lisa tries helping her friend up.
"Hey! But what?"
"She didn't do the homework", Chelsea finally clarifies the situation.
"..hm?! Aww! Don't worry baby girl.We'll take care of the issue. Lez' go!", says Lisa.
While the three exchange happily, one person's attention seems drawn elsewhere.
"Vela?", Chelsea calls out.
The young lady sways her head slowly in Chelsea's direction and raises her brows abruply in response.
Chelsea in awe of Velary's composed disposition asks with a smirk, "What's with the seriousness?"
"Hm? Ain't I usually serious?", Vela asks with a hint of surprise.
Her friend's stare at her with a knowing look and reply in unison, "Nope..nope!"
She chuckles and answers, " Well, that not withstanding, I made an interesting acquintance today?''
"When was that? During break?", Chelsea jokes.
"Haha! You think she found her crush?", Lisa doubles
"That'd be the advent of Christ's coming, yes", Gladys adds.
"Well, indeed, it would be the advent of Christ's coming", Velary retorts with a straight face.
At once, the ladies lose their smiles and Lisa replies, "Of course it's not that. What then is it that's holding your attention so much?"
Pondering her reply, Velary stays in a pensive state for a moment and says, "A really smart man. I stumbled upon a salary man with such a great mind today".
Chelsea who was stroking her short cut pauses. Gladys' spectacles slip down her temple and Lisa drops her Physics book. Their thoughts converge.
"What?!", Lisa exclaims.
"So it was a crush..", Chelsea stares away knowingly, then turns back quick and adds with a broad smile, "..Girl, build!"
"Let her cook!", Gladys supports Chelsea.
"Ok ok. Stop stop! Let's go", Velary responds.
"Come on! Cram school can wait. Christ is coming sooner than we imagined", Chelsea's curiosity would not die.
"Let's go.", Velary reiterates with a smirk.
"..Alright, no Physics tutos today", she adds trying to coerce them, but none moves.
"Ok. Ok! I'll tell you once we're at cram school".
Immediately, the girls pack up and follow her cheerfully.
"Hehe! Lisa. Weren't you the one urging us to leave first?", Vela asks.
"Anything for the gist baby".
Lisa's reply gets them laughing hard on their way out of school.
At their cram school,
Students have assembled for yet another session of study. The atmosphere is a cramped one with some already suffocating from the pressure.
"Alright, students! I know, I know. You don't like to see me here", a male voice shouts out from the front of the classroom.
"Yes sir!", the students roar in harmony.
"Yeah. I also know you wish I'd ghost for the rest of the term", he adds as he moves left then, right, hand in his pocket.
"Let him cook!", a boy hypes from within the class.
"I know. I know. But also, I know that if I stepped out of here for the rest of the semester, your Physics grades would urge you to push for my return.."
He stares sarcastically at the class and continues, "..I know you need those grades and I will make you get them. Not that I just can. I will. So please, bear with me".
Clappp!!! A thunderous round of applause responds to his speech.
"Why are you guys cheering? We will still study", he jokes and laughs follow.
While the teacher kept the students attention, the three girls arrived some moments into his speech and went for the backdoor, struggling to slip into the class unnoticed.
"Hey! Lisa, go through the front", Velary whispers.
"Hm? Why?", Elisa asks confused.
"He'd let you through. You have the best Physics grades in this academy", Chelsea whispers as well.
The teacher, pretending not to notice their squirming, proceeds, "I know you're annoyed students".
"How so sir?", the students ask.
As he prepares to answer, he goes on to write on the board and says,"Exactly. Some groaned just now because I've written Physics on the board and some frowned earlier when I talked of Physics grades".
The class goes laughing again. He peers at the back of the class, as if referring to those at the back, then adds with a grin, "Yep! I'm your Physics tutor...for this year only. Relax''
"Now, look..", the large class goes silent at once, all eyes fixed on this teacher.
"..I know you're tired, I know some of you could drop dead right now. But please hold up.."
He drops his chalk and steps up his tone, "..the fight you started 18, 17, 16 or even 14 years ago-"
The class laughs again. He smiles and says, "No geniuses in this class, I know..but then-". The class just keeps chuckling as he speaks.
"..but then!"
They get serious again.
"The fight you engaged in from birth won't end. So please, bear with me and don't stop. Don't let the cyclops swallow you up".
Hearing him speak jogs Vela's mind and she stares blankly.
"You hold up the weights of life and push on, for at the crossroads of life, a choice must be made. But before you get to that choice,.."
"You must succeed through the journey of highschool", Lisa murmurs.
"Hey Lisa. It's him right? The assistant creator of Project Cyclops", Chelsea whispers.
"Yes. It is him. Whoa! He's going to be our tutor? Amazing!", Lisa screams silently.
As she hears that, Vela pulls back from her absent-mindedness and asks, "Him?"
At the same moment, the man says, "After all of that jargon, you're probably more interested in the identity of this man who's wasting your time right now..."
The kids laugh and reply, "Yes sir!"
"Alright. I am.."
Immediately, some students, Velary included shout, "Unai Lenin".
To be continued...