I am Penelope

36_I am Penelope

Everything seemed normal except the 'exam' in the morning.

"So…How did it go?", asked Luna when they began their dinner.

"Good, I guess?", he answered back a bit unsure.

"And yours?", he asked his sister.

"Good that you asked.", she replied with a smile on her face.

"It went really well. I think I'll be able to place quite high this time."

Hearing her answer made Lucius a bit confused.

"What do you mean with place quite high?"

Luna didn't answer his question and shrugged her shoulders but added with a small smile.

"You'll understand tomorrow."

With that their conversation ended and Luna started interacting with the rest of the family.

The next day came fast with everyone seating nervously on their chair. Thinking that maybe they'll have another 'test' like yesterday. So, when Iyan came when they didn't have his class, they started to think that there really will be another one.

"Don't look like that.", he said with a smile on his face. The same smile he had when he gave the test to them. So, nobody really appreciated how nice the smile was. The only thing going their mind was that he really was evil.

"Don't worry, there won't be any test today."

Hearing him, made them relaxed a bit, but they began to tense hearing him talk further.

"But…"

[It's so fun seeing them like that.]

Iyan kept them on their toes on purpose. He wanted to tease them, but he realized that he should stop when he saw how pale Ryuu went.

"We will be going to the gym."

[Why?]

Was the question they all asked in their head. Not that they dared to ask it to the teacher. But it seemed that they didn't need to ask it because he answered it himself.

"I know you all have question about yesterday. Everything will be clear when we go there, so hurry up. I don't want to be late."

With that he opened the closed door and walked outside. Nobody moved to follow him, but everyone ran when they heard Iyan talk.

"You're not coming?", his voice calm, but it only made them nervous.

They walked in lines like begin school year. When they walked to the gym, they met the other classes going to the gym too. They didn't talk to each other. Only nodded to show some respect, not that the students dared to say anything when there was a demon in front.

Arriving in the gym, they saw the third and second years already seated. Only the first years weren't seated yet, but after some time the gym was full of everyone from school.

*CLICK* *CLACK* *CLICK* *CLACK*

On the stage came the principal they saw on the first day of school. She looked at everyone in the gym and mainly at the first years.

She smiled and said: "Hello everyone. Like you know, I'm Aileen. I'm happy to see you guys once again. I won't say much because I have a feeling you want answers to your questions."

While saying the last part she looked at the first years. From everyone here, the first years would be the only one that had question.

"As much as I want to answer it. But it's not my job, I'll leave the explain to the third years."

Still smiling she called someone up front.

"An applause for the first place of the first year, Narcys Des Belphegores!"

Everyone clapped their hands, but no one came up the stage. Narcys who sat comfortable on his chair wasn't planning to leave his seat soon.

"You're not going?", Erebus asked beside him.

"Why would I?", he answered back coldly.

"Maybe because you're first place, or something like that?", he replied back with an unsure voice.

"You can be first place if you want.", Narcys said still not planning to leave his seat.

*LAUGH*

Aileen began to laugh when she heard what was going on.

"It seems someone not that happy for the first place.", she said while wiping a tear away.

"But I'm sorry, you still need to give a short speech."

When she said this someone came and gave Narcys, who reluctantly accepted it, a microphone.

"Give us an amazing speech!", Aileen said happily.

"Thank you.", Narcys said and gave the microphone back to the one who gave it to him.

"That was short, but I'll let it slide this time.", she gave a small smile and continued her talk.

"It seems our first place is also the first place of the entire first year. I really would like to have a speech, but I'll let it go. But let's give an applause once again to Narcys."

Everyone once again to clap. This time it seemed that the older years where more into it than before.

"I really would like to welcome the first place of the second year, but it seems like the said person his currently absent, instead we will welcome the first place of the third year and the entire school, Penelope Andricia!"

Everyone clapped, some with more enthusiasm and some with less. On the stage came a girl, Lucius knew, all the first years knew. It was the same girl that came to their class three days before the test.

She accepted the microphone and looked at everyone with her dark brown eyes.

"I'm Penelope Andricia and I think it was finally time for me to stand here.", she started her speech with a grin on her beautiful face.

"Not only am I standing here for the first place of the third years, but also for the first place of the whole third years. I'm not lying when I say that I'm planning to keep this place.", she said while looking at someone in the crowd.

"I guess the first years won't understand what's going, I'll explain later because now is my time.", she took a deep breath with her eyes closed and when she opened her eyes, she looked so powerful like nobody could stop her.

"I am here not because of someone help. This is the result of my hard work. You can say that people helped me, but I got this far because of myself because people can't help me with things I don't want to be helped at.", she talked with confidence and her ego showed, but nobody cared that she sounded so egoistic.

"You know, I applied to this school for fun, so when I got accepted, I felt that I was in a dream. I'm not smart and I hate to work hard, so I struggled here and even with help I didn't get far. I wanted to give up and just stay the same, that normal girl.", Penelope released a tired laugh.

"But I realized something, so I worked hard because I'm not smart, I'm just normal. I was happy that my rank went up and up, but I guess my spirit was burned. So burned that I wasn't happy with my achievement. I wanted more and here I am now. First place. I don't want to be a normal girl, no I can't' be a normal girl now.", she gave a small smile and continued her speech.

"I am the empress now and when school is done, I'll still be. I'll promise this to me and not anyone else.", her speech ended with the same arrogance as the beginning.

But somehow her speech fired the third and even the second years up.

"First years are properly wondering why I am calling myself an empress, right?", she asked it, but she didn't need an answer and wasn't planning to wait for one.

"Each month there will be a test. The subject is random, so you need to study each one. Only the top 50 will be known. You can find the ranking on the billboard outside. There you'll be finding six papers. Two papers for each year. There is a title for the first place. The first years are known as Prince or Princess, the second years as King or Queen and the third years as Emperor and Empress. If you are first place, you'll get that title, and the color red will be placed with you. In total there are four colors. Purple for Kitsune Academy, Yellow for the Qilin Academy, Blue for the Dragon Academy and Red for our Phoenix Academy. The color represents which school we go. On the six papers you'll find the top 50 of our school and the top 50 of the four-school combined. If you are first place on both papers, you don't need a color to represent you because it doesn't matter. You're first and that is the most important thing. You can say that the color show you are less than somebody else. It's like saying you wouldn't be the first.", Penelope said with an evil smile appearing her face.

"Oh right, you're maybe wondering about the other ranks, right? There aren't important.", she said coldly with no compassion.

"I don't even know why they post the top 50. Shouldn't they just post the first place? I mean what if you're second, you still aren't first. I'll tell you guys this. You shouldn't stop at your current rank; you should go for the first place because only the first place has a meaning. There's no benefit being first, but…Isn't it nice to know you're the best? Knowing you beat everyone and are the first place."

Her words were like spells. Everyone got burned by her words, they were on fire wanting the thing that only one person can be, the first place of the whole school.

"Never forget that you are not only competing against our school but also the others. Strive to be the best and nothing less.", with that she left the stage with an overwhelming cheer.