Go First

The brilliant sun overhead bore down on the playground. The students had split into two groups based on their classes.

Like one on one gunfights as seen in western classics, both classes stood opposite each other with their respective teachers at the helm of affairs. Both Calista and Valarie glared at each other through thinly veiled fake smiles.

It looked like a simple drill exercise, but it could very well have been a life or death match with the venomous atmosphere both teachers had created. The air was almost cackling with electricity.

Totally oblivious of the battle of egos between both teachers, on both sides, the students chatted away nervously.

The skillful ones relegated themselves to the background with the hopes of minimizing their visibility in a futile bid to lessen their chances of being called on.

But it was all for naught! Both Calista and Valarie already knew beforehand who their champions were going to be. Valarie broke the ice by calling out to her colleague across the playground.

"No need to put on a confident front Miss Calista! It's okay to be afraid you know!"

Calista sneered back;

"Oh come of it Valarie!"

Her high pitched sing song voice was always a joy to hear whenever she tried to yell. She continued the passive jab.

"We both know that my class is literally an A class!"

Valarie matched her aggression;

"Don't count on it this time. Everyday isn't Christmas you know!"

Calista yelled back;

"Well let's get to it then!"

"Let's do this!"

Both women surveyed each other's class. Calista hadn't been expecting Valarie to be the one to initiate a friendly class competition. But either way, she was glad that an opportunity like this had presented itself.

She wasn't going to let it slide, she had already vowed to seize this opportunity by taking the initiative. As Calista glossed over the outcome of the competition, she knew for sure that Valarie was going to choose the girl named Dahila.

She smiled inwardly. Calista already had a plan in mind to counter that.

Dahila was a young prodigy in F class. She was an extraordinary stellar student by all standards and possessed incredible skills.

The young student had mastered the use of ice magic. She had practiced well and was powerful enough to do some real harm with her powerful ice magic.

Calista acknowledged the ice girl's talent, but she had an Ace up her sleeve that would level the plain field. Recently, a very mysterious transfer student had been routed to Calista's class. She was a real handful.

Calista had planned to unveil her during the final exams at the end of the semester. But she was already itching to show her off. Calista just couldn't wait any longer. The time was ripe for her to unveil her secret weapon.

The rules of the competition were simple. Each class was to send one student to represent them in a one on one battle.

After a looser has been eliminated from the tournament, the undefeated winner retains the right to remain in the ring like a champion until the next challenger emerges to contend. This cycle would them continue until the champion is defeated and another takes his place.

Victory is declared when one of the parties concedes or simply loses to the other side. The students in the F class were in a jittery state.

They were all afraid of being called first to play, all except Zavier and the phenomenal Dahila. The situation on the other side was the polar opposite.

The students of A class were virtually top tier mages, so, they looked down on the entire class F. It was no shock when the students of class F found themselves drowning under the overbearing energy of the opposing class.

They were all so afraid that they immediately ruled out the fact that anyone of them could last long in the ring- not even with a prodigy like Dahila on their side! The dance was yet to begin, and yet they were already crushed psychologically.

Calista was adept at reading situations. She read the facial expressions and the general atmosphere on the opposing class and instantly knew that the battle was hers already.

Her eyes glinted with excitement. But her fire was nearly doused when she saw the confident gleam in Valarie's eyes. Calista seethed inwardly;

"Oh I can't wait to wipe off that smug look on your face!! Just wait you obnoxious cow!"

Calista's confidence was well grounded. The difference in the strength of both classes was glaring. There was no doubt that class A was the superior class.

In fact, very few students from Class A barely considered this to be a game. To them, it was a walkover. Even with a prodigy like Dahila, it was unlikely that Class F would win the competition.

She was a pretty powerful mage for her stage, but even she couldn't possibly hope to take on the entire Class A.

Next to Dahila, Zavier was the only student from Class F who could stand toe to toe with the contemptuous Class F.

The others didn't dare to put any of their trust in Zavier. In light of recent events, he had lucked out when he displayed some flare for potent magic earlier on.

But that was just about how far they could put their confidence in him. For the better part of the time they had known him, Zavier had been nothing more than a dud.

His past failures and ineptitude in the face of adversity far overshadowed the brief moment of glory he had enjoyed in their sight. From the time the students left the class right up to the playground, they gossiped about this freely in separate groups and in hushed tones;

"Did you see what Zavier did?! That was amazing!"

A skinny kid with glasses asked excitedly.

"Yeah! No kidding that was super awesome. But it's also Zavier Adam, maybe he got lucky."

The other slightly larger kid beside him answered objectively.

"I really don't think so bro."

"Why?"

"There was just something about Zavier in that moment! Did you see how focused he was? Did you see how he…"

The other boy dismissed him.

"You have been seeing too many superhero novels lately. You know that's not how real life works right?"

The skinny nerd with glasses retorted;

"I know that you jerk!"

"Well, that all over now. The real challenge is just beginning."

"Yeah…" he said sadly, "Dahila is the only one who can face those jerks from Class A. Maybe Zavier as well…"

"Zavier's a bum dude. I told you to let that go already."

"Come on, let's go hide behind Dahila so we don't get picked for the first round!"

They didn't argue about that. They scurried along on their feet like a bunch of mice and hurriedly took their place behind their class's champion.

Unlike the rest of the jittery bunch, Dahila was the only one brimming with confidence. Eager for battle, she glared at the opposition from where she stood with hateful eyes. In the case of the young mage, this wasn't just a display of bravado, Dahila was truly outstanding.

She was well aware of this fact and she reveled in it. This was the basis of her confidence; the fact that she was one of a kind and the fact that she shone above all.

As a brilliant prodigy and as a stellar student, Dahila had all the qualifications to be in Class A.

Surrounded by equally outstanding students, Dahila could have thrived in the atmosphere of a winning class.

But then again, her excess pride (which was a dominant part her character) influenced her decision to pick a weaker class where she could prove that she could excel in any environment and under any circumstance.

Although she would deny it vehemently, Dahila's decision to choose Class F was partly because she absolutely hated any kind of competition. She wasn't a fan of team work. Dahila was the type who was obsessed with being the star.

This was perhaps the reason why she had been the only one shaken by Zavier's momentary glory, especially as she had failed at that very spell.

As she warmed up, she encouraged herself;

"This is my time to step up and re-establish my dominance in this class! No one can take my place!"

So, when Valarie asked who wanted to go first, Dahila wasted no time, she stepped forward aggressively.

"I will go first Ma'am!"