Tainted Rose - ONC 2024

Chapter One

Eight years before:

Ivan's POV

English class seemed to drag on and on as the teacher did not stop talking. It was just one sentence after another. During the week Mr Frost had made them read Macbeth by Shakespeare. It didn't make sense to Ivan as the teacher made them watch a movie and take notes anyway. It was forty-seven degrees Celsius and the room he was in was very hot and stuffy. The windows were the same slide up ones from the fifties and the huge fan on the ceiling didn't work. Most of the students were sweating, their uniforms were drenched. The principal was a man in his seventies who Ivan was sure didn't care that all the students suffered because any time a student would complain he would brush it off as this generation being weak.

Ivan's mind momentarily wondered to his conversation with his sister that morning, the way she spoke and how she seemed fearful, but he brushed it aside. Surely his sister would tell him if something was wrong.

He focused on the board, catching a glimpse of the ending scene. He had seen this film three times, this being the fourth and it kind of bored him. The projector turned off and the lights turned back on, some of the students squinted and rubbed their eyes.

"Okay class," Mr Frost started, standing in front of the white board, looking at everyone with his black eyebrows pulled together. The man was in his forties but from Ivan's view, he could see strands of grey invade the teachers left side of his head. The teacher handed papers to each student. "I hope you all were paying attention as all the answers to this quiz were answered in the movie."

The class groaned collectively, some even saying how it wasn't fair and they weren't prepared. Ivan smiled a little and sat back in his chair. He knew Macbeth like the back of his head so he should ace the questions quick. The paper was placed in front of him.

"Once you are done, hand your papers to the front and wait at your desks in silence," Mr Frost said, pacing in front of the white board. "You may start."

Ivan looked down at the paper then up at Mr Frost, watching as the teacher sat at his huge wooden desk. He wondered how his English teacher didn't seem to be hot in his long sleeve black shirt.

He flipped the page and stared at the seven questions that filled up the first page. Ivan wondered if Mr Frost wrote this exam and if he did, did he reread the questions out loud because some of them made very little sense.

Ten minutes later, Ivan had answered the questions, long before any of the other students did. He got up and handed his paper to the teacher. The teacher stared at him for what felt like an eternity, his icy blue eyes shooting daggers at Ivan, making his heartbeat fast. Mr Frost instead just nodded, and Ivan turned around, heading to his desk. He rested his elbow on the desk, palm to his chin and stared out the window. The sun was still out but it was a lot cooler than it had been earlier in the lesson.

– –

The bell rang after what felt like an entire lifetime. The two boys at the back of the class groaned. Ivan smiled to himself, knowing he was going to ace the quiz, but it gave him even greater pleasure knowing some of the other students were probably going to fail.

Mr Frost stood up, his hands behind him. "Great work everyone, you may go. Ivan, could you stay back please."

Ivan froze, his blood turning as cold as ice. Him? What did he do? What did Mr Frost want to talk to him about? He had done nothing wrong. The pack of students walked out the room, pushing and shoving each other to get out first while Ivan slowly picked up his black backpack and walked over to the teacher. "Yes, sir?"

Mr Frost sat on the desk, his eyes scanned Ivan from head to toe. "I didn't want to say this in front of the other students, but you seem to be excelling in my classes young man."