Black Sheep (discontinued)

Confrontation

After Fajr, I sat at the balcony, watching the spider lilies dancing in the cold autumn breeze, below the lightening horizon. It was Monday. The sets of laws my father wrote sat on my desk inside. A translated copy of his conference book was at the top of the pile. I proceeded to go to the flower garden, to clear my thoughts, and to avoid any unwanted visitors. Right now, I wasn't in a chatting mood. Alone at a table with a parasol above a tea set, I revised the main points I was to explore in my debate today.

"Tea for 2?" A voice called from afar.

"Yeah, I don't even know if the teapot is full."

"It always is," The deep orange and pastel pink light shone on Miss Tennyson's smirking face. Fine china so delicate it seemed that a small breeze might have been enough to send these antiques smashing. But, as a woman who is accustomed to handling fragile equipment,  Miss Tennyson successfully dealt with the tea.

China touched china, without a single dent, "So, I heard that you have a debate today. How did you get yourself in trouble already, Saba?"

"Blame Miss Windsor," I replied between scoffing biscuits, "She said crap about my dad, and now she wants me to prove her wrong."

"You do realise she went to Oxford, Saba?" Miss Tennyson's demeanour was now more serious, "She's an alumni of Haversham. She's been debating since she could speak. And she learnt how to speak before her third birthday."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"I kid you not, Saba. You're up against quite a formidable force. Just take a moment to think, Saba, what would your father do?"

"I.... I don't know."

"Well, unless you can answer that, you're screwed. How can you represent someone you don't know?" A gust of cold, harsh wind blew around the garden, making Miss Tennyson's golden locks  flow in a picturesque manner, as the pastel sunrise reflected in her light eyes. 

*

"After the influx of refugees, Anas decided to build more schools and houses, in order to accommodate for them. And since Saudi Arabia has free education, impoverished children weren't at a disadvantage." It was the middle of the debate, and I was making my second point. On the other side of the table, Miss Windsor had her heels on the table, taking notes on a jewel-encrusted notepad and eyeing me judgementally. 

"And although several schools were bombed on July 10NE, Anas used the budget to rebuild the schools, and compensate the learning lost. Therefore, Anas ibn Tirmidhi wasn't against educating and empowering the refugees, because he treated them like Saudi citizens, and they were eventually rewarded with true citizenship."

No appraisal was present, not a single clap. Except for Madison, who's smile beamed into my heart. 

"So, is that all?" Miss Windsor joked.

"Ahem," Daisy coughed, "Please..... . Wait, this mic doesn't work. Cordelia!"

Cordelia signalled to one of her friends, who brought another mic to Daisy.

"Please welcome the proposition, Miss Windsor!" Daisy announced, as the rest of the class gave her a standing ovation other than Madison, and Miss Windsor took her heels off the table. 

"There is one thing I'd like to bring to your attention, esteemed audience. Back in the 2010s, Saudi Arabia held 17% of the world's oil reserves. By 1NE, it held 64%. What would cause such a dramatic rise in oil reserves? Well, actually, it's not because they found more oil reserves, it's because they bombed the others," Miss Windsor put up an image of jets above the now destroyed Texan oil reserve, "These types of jets, although are obscured in clouds, match the closest to the Saudi, now let me emphasise that, Saudi  fighter jet F-15, which were mass produced under Anas' reign. This would send their percentage up, without having to make more oil. And since they are making it more scarce, they can sell it at a higher price, but keeping production low, so that we become more dependent on Saudi Arabia. I rest my case."

"This isn't a court case," I stated, "So there's no point of you ending with "I rest my case." Also, that is clearly an F-35. F-15s, the jets predominantly used in Saudi Arabia, have twin engines, whilst F-35s, including the ones in the image you've displayed, have only 1. And as of right now, Saudi Arabia don't own any F-35s. However, there are many that do, such as the State of Finland and the Commonwealth of Singapore."

"They don't have green flags. Saudi Arabia does. The jets are green."

"Ireland has a green flag. So does Italy. A fighter jet being green doesn't necessarily mean it's Saudi."

"But who else would need to bomb Texan oil reserves? You—"

The fire bell rang ominously.

"All right, that's the end. Looks like you lost." Miss Windsor teased.

"We're not even finished!" I bellowed, but my pleas fell on deaf ears as everyone went outside.

As we all stood in formation next to our form signs, I noticed that Daisy was missing from our line. Peering over towards the year 7s, I noticed Bea was also absent. After my name was called out (I was one of the first people in the register), I bolted indoors. The once vibrant hallways of the school were now dark and grey. Stairs creaked more. Doors hung open more. Silence lingered more. "Daisy, Bea, you know if you don't get out soon, they'll realise you're missing." I said. How long would it take for them to get from a to u? Not more than I minute, I subconsciously decided. 

A shadow slipped past me as I followed the source of the sound, which then abruptly stopped. "Daisy, is that you?"

"Do I look like a hopeless goody-two-shoes?" It was Cordelia. Great.

"So, Cora—"

Her face was full like a pufferfish, "That's Cordelia Newman to you!"

"Same difference. So, what are you doing with the fire alarm?"

"N... none of your business. Now, get out of my way!" She tried to ram her head into me, but I dodged without second thought, "Oh, so you think you're  soo sly, and cool. Well, no one likes a sore loser!" I caught her fist. Sent it flying. She chased me up the stairs and into the science lab. I flung anything and everything at her. Books, flasks, microscopes, heck even the 3D printer was sent her way. My heat pounded in my chest as she approached me, her brown eyes filled with rage. 

A billow of smoke, no, of fire extinguisher, erupted in the middle of the room, and a tall slender figure whisked me away from the room.

"Hold this," It was Miss Tennyson, with another fire extinguisher and a javelin turned spear. 

Cordelia came staggering out like a zombie in a horror movie, before charging like a bull. On an impulse, I opened the fire extinguisher, covering her face in foam.

"Come on, let's go," Miss Tennyson whispered.

*

Me and Madison arrived early for science, and I was retelling the encounter to Madison.

"So, the debate was never continued, and Cordelia tried to fight you?"

"Essentially, yeah."

"Wow, Miss, you need to teach us to fight like that!"

Miss Tennyson laughed, "I would get in trouble, but, I guess I could do it for you 2. So, Saba, what now?"

"Well, I don't know yet. I have to prove to the school, no, the world that my father was not an evil man. I also want to stop all of the corruption in this country. It's what my father would want."

"Stop corruption? Ok, then, meet me tomorrow morning at Room 77."

What could Miss Tennyson need at room 77? And where was it anyways?

After settling down for bed, my mind swirled with possible connotations of Miss Tennyson's statement, and what Daisy and Bea were doing in school during a fire drill.