The Ludicruos League

The Quad

It was late April. Weather wise, nothing much changed in Kali-M. Located near the equator, the climate remained practically the same all year round.

On the other hand, several things happened at MIS. The arrival of a new Head of School and four new students became the talk of the school population. MIS was a combination of Junior and Senior High School, following the American Educational System.

It wasn't an unusual occurrence to have new students arriving late in the school year. In the past decade or so, Mutiara had become quite popular and successful in attracting foreign investors. The city was well known for its timber export and marine technology. They supplied the world's largest cultured black pearl. In recent years, traces of precious gems, including the rare black opal and painite, led to copious mining investments. Not to mention the thriving jewellery businesses as a result of it.

As for the new Head of School, it seemed to be happening every two years. No head teachers wanted to stay for long in that tropical environment.

At first, she didn't pay much attention to what was happening around her. Her mind was preoccupied with the new knowledge of her identity - or lack thereof. She was glad when Ali came back as she provided a distraction. They resumed their normal activities, going to school together on their electric scooters, tinkering with their non-digital cameras, and hanging together after school to browse trinkets at pre-loved shops.

A girl whispered at recess, "Look at The Quad. Why do you think they always wear their hoodie over their school uniforms?"

Although the student population was small, less than three hundred, they had all the other cliché groups: The Otaku  (sleep-deprived students obsessed with anime, manga and video games — walking about like a zombie with their faces glued to their screen and fingers skittering, bumping randomly into others); The Jocks — often passing a ball amongst themselves and fooling around loudly; The Artistes wannabees — boys monopolising whole sections of the corridors practising their k-pop dance moves with the girls gawking at them with drools dripping; The Nerds and The Loners — hounding the corners and the library. Inang and Ali considered themselves The Floaters — not conforming to a specific group's expectations or standards. They were both flexible, thus enabled them to mingle quite amicably with the others.

"The brunette girl in the Senior Year is sure pretty, but her gaze is too intense. She scared the guys," Inang heard another girl gossiping with her friends. "They say the guy with quiff hairstyle is her brother. But it can't be. They're classmates."

"Maybe they're twins," someone suggested.

"Doubt it. They don't look anything alike."

The other two were in Inang's class, Year Nine. On top of his hoodie, the boy had his beanie all the time. It came to the point where some students were putting bets as to their guesses for his hair colour. Inang thought there was a rule against wearing a beanie in school, but she wasn't sure, so she shrugged it off.

The girl had very pale skin, and her short hair was of the palest blue colour she had ever seen in her life.

Unlike in the films, new students didn't have to introduce themselves when they went into homeroom. They just sat at the back of the room where several desks were vacant.

What Inang and Ali didn't expect was The Quad turning up wherever they went.

They had taekwando lessons twice a week, Wednesdays and Saturdays. That Saturday, they were at the gym as usual, donning their dobok, the taekwando uniform. Inang had a blue belt on while Ali's was yellow.

In the beginning, Ali was reluctant to join the club. She was more invested in learning about photography, where the girls first met. They were classmates but never talked to each other until they joined the club. More specifically, when Inang helped her locate her missing earring inside their dark room. Shut in a dark room developing films and surfing the Internet for more information were her thing. Kicking a hanging bag for hours was not her idea of fun. Besides, she was self-conscious about her figure.