Semira blinked into the sunlight filtering through dusty blinds. Her head throbbed slightly as she sat up on the narrow bench surrounded by old instruments—an upright piano with chipped keys, a cello missing a string, and drums stacked like forgotten memories.
She was in the old music room.
She sniffed the air, confused. "A temple of sound," she whispered, standing to inspect the piano. She pressed a few keys and jumped when one gave a loud honk. "This instrument is broken. A crying cow." She nodded solemnly, as if settling an important matter.
Just then, the door creaked open and Mara's soft voice entered first. "You're awake!"
Clara followed, arms crossed. "You tried stopping a fight. Caused a whole scene."
Mara ignored her and hurried to Semira's side. "How are you feeling?"
"Was I unconscious?" Semira asked.
"Well, yeah." Mara chuckled. "Some football drama. You ran into a fight."
Clara raised an eyebrow. "You fought for christian. Who does that on their first day?"
Semira frowned. "Jeremiah... Was he the demon?"
Mara stifled a laugh. Clara just rolled her eyes.
"Come on," Mara said. "Let's go get lunch. You must be starving."
"lunch?" she asked cluelessly
---
In the Cafeteria...
The cafeteria buzzed with students. Semira, sitting with Mara and Clara, stared at her plate as if it were a sacred offering.
"What... is this rope?" she asked, lifting a strand of spaghetti with a fork — upside down. She poked her eye with the handle.
Clara burst into laughter. "Oh, she's a natural."
Semira dropped the fork and lifted the noodles with her fingers, sniffed it, then solemnly declared, "Demon intestines. I rebuke you in the name of—" and then shoved it into her mouth.
Everyone nearby paused mid-bite. Then laughter erupted.
Across the cafeteria, Christian sat at his usual table. Kim was beside him, scrolling on his phone. Girls giggled at their table like birds fluttering for crumbs.
"Who's that girl?" Kim asked, glancing toward Semira.
Christian didn't even look. "Just some weirdo."
Kim turned to him. "She's the one who called your name earlier in the hall, isn't she?"
Christian's jaw tightened. "Never seen her before."
"You sure?" Kim tilted his head. "You never forget someone like that."
Christian pushed his tray away. "Why do you care?"
Kim shrugged. "She's... interesting."
Christian didn't respond, but his eyes briefly flicked back to Semira, watching her now using her hand as a spoon and dipping it into someone else's soup.
Mara gasped. "Semira! That's not yours!"
Semira blinked. "But it smells holy."
Meanwhile...
Back in class, Semira walked in late, still licking tomato sauce off her fingers. The teacher paused, then continued. The intercom buzzed.
"Student Semira, please report to the principal's office."
She looked around, confused. "What is this voice? Some oracle from above? Is the principal a high priestess?"
The class burst into laughter.
The teacher sighed. "Semira, that's just the intercom. The principal is a regular woman. Please go see her after class."
Semira tilted her head. "So, not a temple head?"
More laughter.
Meanwhile, in a dim room beneath the school library, a group of students sat before glowing monitors. The tech club. On their screens: exam databases, teacher logins, locked archives.
"We're in," one whispered. "We've got access to the full term. Every test. Every paper."
"Upload it to the Drive. Quietly. No screw-ups."
The camera zoomed out as their fingers tapped furiously—exams being downloaded in the background while the school above them remained oblivious.
Later, Semira stood outside the principal's office. Before she knocked, Kim walked up beside her.
"You okay? That hit looked nasty."
"Oh, yes. My bones are blessed. It will heal with prayer."
He smiled. "You're funny. I'm Kim. What's your name again?"
"Semira. Daughter of—" She paused. "Never mind. Just Semira."
They both chuckled.
Inside the office, the principal sat with a thick file on her desk. She opened it as Semira entered.
"We need to talk about your scholarship. There's... something unusual. Your file isn't from any known school system."
Semira blinked.
"Also," the principal added, holding up a sheet of paper, "someone submitted this with your name on it. Divine ink. It glows in the dark."
Semira's breath hitched.
"What... what name is written there?"
The principal turned the paper.
It read: Christian.
Semira froze.