Mudita ; The Gifted 2018

Chapter 14

THIRD PERSON

The assembly had ended and Time happily sat in his seat, admiring the Gifted pin he had found earlier. He was so distracted that he didn't notice someone sat beside him. He whipped his head around to see a pale girl with crimped black hair. She didn't say anything and just silently placed her stuff on the ground.

"Hello, my name is Time." He greeted and the girl lightly smiled, nodding.

"I heard you introduce yourself earlier." She replied, rummaging for something in her bag. She took out a small box of lip balm, gently applying it to her lips.

"Actually, I want to ask what your name is." Time kindly asked as the girl stopped patting her lips with the lip balm.

"Grace, I'm Grace." She answered, giving him a kind smile.

"Boys and girls cannot sit together here. Boys on the left. Girls on the right." A voice yelled as 3 boys entered Class-I. They wore a red band on their uniform sleeves. Time looked confused since they looked like they were M5 students.

"Let's go." The boy with the glasses repeated as the girls immediately moved to the right side of the room.

"We are student inspectors. Today is the first day of school. The school admin sent us here to inspect how you are dressed. This school is not only known for its academic excellence but also its strict rules and regulations." He continued before darting his eyes around the whole class.

"Boys must tuck their shirts in. Girls must wear skirts that cover their knees." He said, walking around the class as students hurried to tidy up themselves.

"Hairstyles are quite simple, just as long as it looks tidy. No dye, no setting, no perms." He finished, stopping in front of Grace who just looked at him blankly.

"This is not a perm. It's my natural hair." Grace answered.

"Really?" The student inspector asked, reaching to touch her hair but Grace swatted it away. The boy was furious and was about to retaliate but his friend stopped him.

"Let it go, Third. She's from Class 1. Don't take it too far. Sort this out with admin." His friend advised and Time had heard his name now. So, this guy with the glasses was named Third. He carried on and went near Time's table. He picked up the small lip balm that Grace left on the desk and he smiled. Grace moved to explain but stopped when Third made the student face him by grabbing him by the chin.

"Are you wearing makeup?" He asked as the terrified boy could only stare in fear.

"Well..." He started.

"That's a lip balm to moisturize the lips. I don't think it's against the rule." Time interjected as Third held the small pink container.

"I wasn't gonna say anything. It looks like such a nice product. Don't let me see you with red lips." Third said, placing the tint back on the desk before moving on to Time who was innocently smiling at him. Third looked down, eyeing the pin in Time's hand and grabbing it from his grasp.

"You don't have the right to wear this pin." Third reprimanded.

"I'm not wearing it. I just found it." Time explained.

"But you can't keep it. The rule says a student who can have this pin must be one of the Gifted." Third explained before turning his back to Time.

"So if I make it in the Gifted class, you will return the pin to me, right?" Time asked, his voice slowly rising.

"What?" Third asked.

"I said if I made it in..."

"How can you? We haven't had the Gifted class for a year." Third declared and Time's eyes widened in shock as he let Third's words repeat in his head.