Chapter 13: Meet Class 1-D
I, Benesha, entered the classroom of class 1-D together with my fiance Tshikuta. All eyes were on me the moment I stepped foot into this space.
"Doesn't she look peculiar?" The girls said.
"Her hair is very dark gray, and her eyes are blue…"
"Are those purple lips natural?"
"She is extraordinarily beautiful!"
My eyes met that of what I think is a Dutch girl. However, she has white hair and blue eyes. She resembles Maeve and Mandane.
So I suppose the scientists messed around and created this girl by combining the genes of their parents…
"Looks like everyone is here now," the homeroom teacher said, as he walked into the classroom.
So Tshikuta and I came in last. We both took seats next to each other. I realized that this class has 10 male students and 10 female students. But I can't tell why there is this 50/50 ratio of the genders…
"My name is Bart van Bossen, your homeroom teacher." He is a middle aged man. "I am happily married and the father of a sweet girl. It's nice to meet you all."
A girl raised her hand, asking: "How old is your daughter?"
"She is six years old now," he smiled. "And since you're the first student who spoke up, why don't you go ahead and introduce yourself to us?"
"Hi everyone! I'm Sofia Jansen. I'm a total bookworm and can get lost in a good story for hours. I also love spending time outdoors, whether it's going for a bike ride in the park or exploring new parts of the city."
"Excellent," the teacher smiled. "The girl sitting next to you can introduce herself now. And after, the two behind her. And so forth, until we have had everyone."
"Hey everyone! My name is Xiomara Hernandez. My family is from Suriname, but I've grown up here in Amsterdam. I'm a huge music lover, and I can't resist dancing whenever I hear a good beat."
"Salaam everyone! My name is Ismahan Yusuf. I recently moved here from Somalia with my family. I'm still getting used to the weather here, but everyone has been so welcoming! I love cooking traditional Somali dishes with my mom, especially anything with lots of spices."
"Hi! My name is Aïsha Diallo. My family is Moroccan, but I was born here in Amsterdam. I'm really passionate about fashion design and love sketching clothes in my free time. Maybe one day I'll even have my own fashion line!"
"Hey everyone! I'm Daan Dekker. I'm a bit of a techie and love tinkering with gadgets and figuring out how things work. I also volunteer at a local animal shelter because I adore animals, especially dogs."
"Merhaba everyone! I'm Mehmet Yildiz. My family is originally from Turkey, but I was born and raised here in Amsterdam. I love spending time with my big family, especially during big celebrations. We have amazing food and even better company."
"Hi! I'm Jurre van den Berg. I'm a big sports guy, especially football (soccer). Ajax is my all-time favorite team. When I'm not playing myself, you can find me glued to the TV watching a game."
"Hi all, I'm Kaya Lichtstroom. My dad is Dutch, but my mom is from Suriname. I'm really into art and love drawing and painting. I also dabble in a bit of photography. Surinamese food is my favorite, especially anything with peanut sauce!"
"Hi everyone, Liam Jones here. I just moved here from England a few months ago with my family. It's been a bit of an adjustment, but I'm slowly getting used to things. I'm a big fan of rock music and play the guitar in my free time. What I really struggle with is missing my friends back home. I also dislike not understanding Dutch jokes yet!"
"Hi! Fatima Bekker. My dad is Moroccan, but my mom is Dutch. I love fashion and designing my own clothes. I also enjoy spending time with my family and helping out at my aunt's bakery on Saturdays."
"Hi everyone, Noor van Leeuwen here. I'm a big bookworm and can get lost in a good fantasy novel for hours. I also love writing my own stories and poems. Spending time in nature is important to me, so I often go for walks in the park or by the canals."
"Salaam everyone! My name is Ismail Ahmed, but you can call me Izzy. My parents immigrated here from Somalia when they were young. I love playing football (soccer) and supporting Ajax. On weekends, I help out at my family's restaurant, which serves delicious Somali food."
"Hola everyone! I'm Rosa Ramirez. I'm originally from Colombia but moved here with my mom a few years ago. I love dancing and salsa music - it's in my blood! Dislikes? Definitely cold weather - give me sunshine any day!"
"Hey everyone, Lucas de Jong here. I'm a bit of a history buff, especially interested in WWII and the Dutch resistance. I also love reading - anything from sci-fi to classic novels. The one thing I really dislike is littering - it drives me crazy!"
"Hey everyone, I'm Kwasi N'Duka. My family came here from Ghana when I was little. I'm a huge music lover, especially hip-hop and Afrobeat. I love writing my own lyrics and someday I want to record music. Not a big fan of early mornings, so getting to school before 8 am is a struggle."
"Bonjour! I'm Olivier Dubois. I just moved here from Paris with my family for my dad's work. It's been a challenge learning Dutch, but everyone has been really friendly. I love photography and capturing interesting moments in the city. Dislikes? Missing fresh baguettes from back home - the bread here just isn't the same!"
"Yo everyone! Daan van Rijn here. I'm a total foodie and love trying different cuisines - from sushi to Surinamese roti. I also love skateboarding and exploring the city with my friends. The one thing I really dislike is homework overload - sometimes it feels like there's never enough time to chill!"
"My name is Tshikuta Badila. I am 18 years old and I like to play sports and to have fun with my loved ones!"
"I am Benesha Badila, 17 years old."
"Are you two siblings?" The teacher asked.
"No," Tshikuta answered. "You could say that we're from the same tribe. And we are also engaged." The entire class didn't see that one coming…
"Interesting," the teacher chuckled. "And what about you?" His eyes were directed toward the homunculus girl…
"I am Eleonore Houthakker. I am 17 years old. I am the world's champion youth archer. Besides archery I also like to spend time with my parents and younger brother."
"Nice," the teacher smiled. "Now that everyone introduced themselves, it's time to pick a class president."
13.1
Everyone had to write on a piece of paper who they wanted as class president. The teacher came to collect the papers in the end. Rosa Ramirez won the elections.
This was nothing but a popularity vote. The girls voted for Rosa because she gets along well with them. And the guys voted for Rosa because they find her attractive.
Afterwards, we had to hand in our smartphones to the teacher, who gave us smartphone-like devices designed for the school.
"Sir, what is this?" Daan asked.
"A smartphone," he answered. "Can't you tell?" The class began to chuckle a bit.
"I know that it is a smartphone, but there's something off…"
"Correct," the teacher confirmed his suspicion. "The device you all are holding are special smartphones made for this school's students only. You are unable to reach out to the outer world, or to connect to the outer world with these devices. For the 4 years you'll spend in this school, you'll be isolated from the outer world. Holidays excluded, of course."
We couldn't believe our ears. "So I won't be able to reach out to my family?" Rosa lamented.
"Nope, unless it's dire. And similarly, your relatives will be able to reach out to you, if the situation is dire."
"I had no idea…" Fatima said.
"Next time, read the terms of conditions before filling in any forum. Take this as a life lesson."
"But it's very underhanded that you guys included this very important information in a section no one reads," I complained.
"Very underhanded, you say? Well, welcome to Utrecht Metropolitan Self-Development School, Benesha. The way to accomplish your goals in this school, but also in real life, is to be very underhanded."
"So there is a way for me to get out of class D?"
"You already want to leave us?" Rosa asked.
"Shut up, I'm not talking to you," I retorted.
"There are two ways to advance in the class rankings…"
"Which are?"
Van Bossen turned on the Digi-bord behind him, showcasing the class credits of each class. Class A starts with 5.000 CC (class credits), Class B with 4.000 CC, class C with 3.000 CC, class D with 2.000 CC, and class E with 1.000 CC.
"The class with the highest overall exam scores, assignment scores and performance scores, will gain more credits than the other classes. Which will eventually result in the shifting of the class rankings. It is very much possible for you all to become class A. You'd just need to put in more effort for it compared to classes C and B."
"What is the second way to advance in class rankings?" I asked.
"I was hoping you wouldn't be this sharp," he smirked. "The second way is to buy your way into the upper classes. Benesha, since you had a perfect score on your entrance exam, your IC or individual credits should be about 3.000. To buy your way into a class, you'd need more IC than the class president of the class you'd like to join."
"How much do I need for class 1-A?"
"The class president of class 1-A is Hazyah Katz. You'd need more than 6.000 IC to enter class 1-A."
"That's easy," I chuckled.
"It's because you keep underestimating things, and because of your outbursts, that you are in class 1-D, Benesha."
"What?!"
"Do not underestimate this school. We won't make it that easy for any of you to advance in class rankings. Whether you try to do so individually or collectively."
"So we are placed in a lower class because we are deficient in our personality…" Kaya lamented.
"That, or because you lack in the physical or academic department. Or all of them."
"Are we done here?" I sighed.
"Yes. You are free to explore the school grounds now."
I left the classroom in a hurry, Tshikuta went after me and so did Eleonore.
"Guys, wait!" Rosa tried to stop us, but we didn't listen. "I wanted to suggest we go explore the school in groups…"
"Let them explore it together," Lucas said. "You can divide the rest of us into groups."
13.2
"Why are you following me?" I asked Eleonore, as I headed towards the dormitories. I didn't even bother to face her.
"You know that I'm one of your kind, right?"
"So what?"
"I was given the task to fix you and your sisters."
I became enraged and attempted to hold Eleonore by her throat, but she stopped me right on time by grabbing me by my wrist.
"You don't fix something that isn't broken," I said.
"Van Bossen was right, you sure have an anger issue," she said. "So clearly, you do need some fixing."
"Get out of my sight, you whore. I need no fixing and neither do my sisters. We are perfect the way we are. You know absolutely nothing about us."
"Cone on girls, stop fighting…" Tshikuta tried to calm us down. "And what do you mean by 'sisters', Benesha?"
"Don't worry about it."
Both her and my phone vibrated. So we took a look at the notification. Turns out that Maeve invited us to Mandane's room… Why all of a sudden? We just had a stupid reunion in front of the school gates a few hours ago.
The two of us headed to Mandane's dormitory room without saying anything. "Where are you two going?" Tshikuta asked.
"To the girls dormitory," I said. "So get moving."
"You aren't a perv are you?" Eleonore said.
"Heck no!" Tshikuta blushed as he headed the opposite direction. He is probably going to the shopping district.
"What do you think the emergency meeting is about?" Eleonore asked me.
"Probably about the outrageous claim you and other stupid second class homunculi are making about me and my sisters."
"Hah," she chuckled. "Probably, yeah."
"Who are you made of?"
"Queen Elara and Ismene Floratou."
"And?"
"That's it," she said. "Or did you expect men to be involved in my creation? There are none. I am purely made of women."
"I had no idea that was possible…" I was taken aback.
"And my codename is Athena, just so you know."
The two of us knocked on Mandane's dormitory room door. It was opened by Maurits Adelman. Maeve, Mandane, Minah and Zephyrine were also in the room. All of them looked distressed.
"Who died?" I asked, due to the gloomy atmosphere in the room.
"More like, who got resurrected," Minah laughed, but it was a desperate laughter...
"Resurrected?" I asked, confused.
"Big Sis Zipporah and her husband are alive and well," Maeve sighed. Eleonore and I couldn't believe what we just heard…