8. April

The first day of school arrived and I was in my room, in front of the mirror, getting ready with my uniform: a gray plaid skirt, a white blouse and a gray sweater. I was stretching my hair over and over again, trying to get it perfect; I had to be ready for that important day.

"You look like you want to impress someone" Sophie commented as she came out of the bathroom, causing me to blush slightly.

"Don't be silly" I replied, trying to hide my nerves.

We made our way to building A, where we were assigned our new classroom. As we entered, the first thing I noticed was the arrangement of black wooden tables and couches that served as chairs. I looked around and saw Ethan sitting at one of the tables, who greeted us and motioned for us to sit next to him.

"Did you miss me?" asked Ethan as we settled in next to him.

"How have you guys been?" asked Ethan as we settled in next to him.

"Pretty boring," Sophie replied, and I nodded silently. Suddenly, I realized that my hand was playing with a lock of hair, and I forced myself to stop. Why was I so nervous? Was it because I was expecting something else? Or maybe... because I knew this year would be different in many ways.

I studied the classroom attentively, when suddenly Daniel appeared with a blond classmate I didn't know. A tingle of excitement ran through my body at the sight of him, although I expected to meet him here, no, not that my heart was going to pound.

"See?" muttered Ethan beside me, following my gaze until it settled on Daniel. "There's something strange about that boy."

"What do you mean?" I asked, not taking my eyes off Daniel. Our gazes met and I felt a smile tug at his lips, automatically returning it.

"He's just a peasant who got a scholarship," Sophie replied, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't think he's dangerous."

"Anyway," insisted Ethan, "I think they should stay away from him."

"Why do you think that?" I inquired curiously, trying to figure out if there was something Ethan knew and was keeping from us. "Do you know something we don't know?".

"I only sense it," Ethan replied, his expression serious and concerned. "Maybe I'm wrong, but he's hiding something."

"Maybe I should go over and say hello to test your theory" I said, though I noted that there would be no way, my companions were all around him.

Why is everyone coming on to him, I thought jealously as I watched several classmates surround Daniel. I felt frustrated, as I had been the first to meet him and thought I should be by his side. However, I didn't say anything about it.

At that moment, Professor Alexander Volkov entered the classroom, interrupting the scene. Tall, serious-faced and bald, his presence commanded respect.

"To your seats, please!" he exclaimed in a firm voice, forcing everyone to take their places quickly.

"My name is Alexander Volkov and I will be your physics teacher this year" he announced as he took a pen to write his name on the blackboard. He then fixed his gaze on me and congratulated me, "April White, I've heard about your excellent test scores, something that hasn't been seen in years. My congratulations."

"Thank you, Professor," I replied shyly, feeling my cheeks flare at the attention of the entire class.

"And you, Daniel Rock," Alexander continued, now addressing Daniel, "responsible for a perfect score. Mr. Perfect, eh, are you hiding any secrets?".

Daniel looked flushed but shook his head quickly. "No, professor. I just studied hard" he assured.

"We'll see," Alexander said with some skepticism. "I don't think it's just luck." Then he began to write down a complex physics exercise on the blackboard, full of strange equations and symbols. "If you can solve this," he said to Daniel, "then all my doubts will be dispelled."

"Can he do it?" I wondered.

Although I considered myself good at the subject, this problem seemed to be several levels above what I had studied.

To my surprise, Daniel stood up decisively, took the pen and approached the blackboard. His hands began to move quickly and precisely, as if he were in a trance, as he unraveled the mystery behind that complex problem. When he finally wrote the answer on the board, 8 π, I knew I was witnessing something amazing. It wasn't a matter of luck: Daniel was a genius.

"Excellent!" exclaimed Professor Alexander, nodding with satisfaction. The rest of the class began to applaud, and I couldn't help but feel a mixture of awe and admiration for Daniel.

"Mr. Rock," said the professor, still impressed, "how is it possible for you to know so much?"

"" Daniel, trying to remain humble, replied:

"I had plenty of time to read on the farm, Professor."

Upon hearing this response, my classmates seemed surprised, muttering among themselves about how a simple peasant could be so talented.

"The Olympics are coming up soon," Alexander continued, "and I'd like you to join the physics club. You're a real talent, and I think you could excel in the competition." Daniel nodded, saying he would take it under advisement.

"And you, April," added the professor, turning to me, "are also invited to the club. With your skills and Daniel's, we could have an unbeatable team."

"Thank you, Professor" I replied, feeling flattered but also unsure how I would fit into that environment next to someone like Daniel.

"I'll think about it" I added, trying not to show my nervousness.

The class continued and Professor Alexander began a roll call, asking each student to introduce themselves and tell something about their lives. My classmates began to talk about their families, their hobbies, and their aspirations for the future. However, they all seemed quite similar to each other, except for Daniel. His story of life on a farm made him stand out from the rest.

"Now, I'm going to hand out the syllabi," announced Professor Alexander, walking slowly between the tables, handing out sheets with the content of the subject matter we would be studying during the semester. When he reached my table, he dropped an additional sheet next to the syllabus. I quickly grabbed it before anyone else could notice.

While my colleagues were reviewing their syllabi, I focused on the extra sheet of paper I had received. On it was a picture of a man in his forties, fat, with a small mustache. I read that he was an important banker, a shareholder in the company Fdx, which was in the business of making loans. There was also information about his schedule, favorite food and hobbies. I immediately understood that this man was my next target: someone I had to eliminate.

My thoughts stopped for a moment when I read the details of the location and the time in which I was to carry out the mission. In a week's time, in the south parking lot at 20 o'clock I would have to be there. My heart began to pound at the thought of having to murder someone again, especially as my mind kept thinking about Daniel.

"We'll get it right this time, April" said" Sophie, noticing my worried expression. I nodded quickly, trying to disguise my thoughts and focusing back on the class.

"We'll do fine" I replied with a forced smile.

I tucked the sheet into my notebook, hiding it carefully between the pages. The first class was over before I knew it, and Professor Alexander left the classroom to make room for another teacher. During the change of classes, the other teachers congratulated Daniel on his incredible performance on the test. At each congratulation, Daniel smiled modestly and was grateful for the gesture.

Definitely not someone ordinary, I concluded in my mind.

When it was time for lunch, I decided it was time to approach Daniel. I stood up and was about to head toward him when David, one of our classmates, grabbed him by the arm and began dragging him out of the classroom, talking animatedly about something. Daniel seemed reluctant to leave the classroom, but finally gave in at David's insistence.

"Maybe later" I sighed, feeling slightly disappointed. But just before Daniel left the room, our gazes met again. In that brief instant, he gave me a genuine, friendly smile, as if he knew I had been looking forward to talking to him. Unable to help myself, I smiled back and waved my hand unconsciously in farewell.

"There's definitely something special about him" I admitted quietly as I headed toward the dining hall, feeling a little lighter and more optimistic. Still, the hidden leaf in my notebook weighed on my mind like a dark shadow, reminding me that there was so much more to my life than just friendships and school classes.