Chapter 9: Chapter 9- Exhibit A

“So, do we have any questions about our new penalty point system? We’d be happy to welcome you’re concerns,” Trace says at the silent crowd.

No one moves. The entire dome is silent. Trace smiles even wider. See? They can be still if they try, or in this case, be threatened to. Ahh, the wonders of suspension and expulsion. Everyone has a weakness, bully, pageant queens, geniuses, normal students, are all scared of suspension and expulsion, Trace thinks to herself.

Still, this is only the beginning. Right now they’re just in shock. They’re not scared enough yet. The real fear will come soon, Trace expects. Oh, this is going to be so exciting.

“Well, it seems like everyone understood the explanation. And since you’re all new to this system, I’ll waive all you’re scores for now. I sincerely hope that each and every one of you do your best not to earn any points,” Trace adds.

These words seem to unfreeze the crowd. You can almost hear the sigh as the tension lifts from the air. Still, Trace isn’t done yet.

“Well then, I’ll proceed. This morning I heard many audible complaints about the new arrangements of the sections? I believe this to be due to the fact that the former block sections have been rearranged, and you are not with the same people you were with last year. I am here to inform you that from this year on, the school will be implementing a random assignment for the designation of sections, instead of the usual block sectioning. This is done to help expose students to many other different people, which will in turn widen their horizons and views. We hope for your cooperation in this new system,” Trace explains. “Later on, your advisers will explain to you a separate penalty point system for the class level,” she adds.

Here it comes, thinks Elaiza, her mind in wonder. She’s so cool, Miss President. So scary, but so cool too. She made up all these cool rules to keep the students in line, so cool! And she has so many cool plans! She’s the chosen one! The one who will bring SMA from the ruins to the peak of glory. She has the blood of the ancestors running through her veins, pumping through and making her so cool! Uber cool! Elaiza keeps on thinking as she looks at Trace.

The vice president can’t help but be at awe, despite how the president basically blackmailed them into submission, and is now making them part of most hated group in the whole school. See, it’s amazing how she’s pulling the strings and making everything run according to her plans. It’s amazing how she can coolly smile and force everyone into submitting to her. Maybe she’s a secret spy sent here by the government to clean up the dirt. Cool!

Elaiza remembers Miss President’s next step.

“You’re mixing the classes? Do you realize the uproar that’ll make?” Celestine says.

“Trust me, I understand the consequences of breaking an unspoken caste system that’s been in place for years. I don’t expect it to be easy. But as you all probably expect, I have a plan,” Trace replies coolly.

“But…my classmates…” Austin tries his best to protest.

Trace just looks at the kid, making him cower.

“You’ll get along with your new one. And the plan I have for the peace of the new sections is easy. Give them penalties as a class for their misbehaviors as a class. You don’t have to get along at first. What I want is simple, straight lines during the morning ceremonies and other gatherings, quiet and clean classrooms, attendances to events, zero in-class violence. I’ll also assign areas in the school for each class to keep clean, and that’ll be included in their point system. That should teach them about responsibility. Classes that reach ten points will take penalty classes on behavior management with their adviser, and each student will have an additional 0.5 points to their penalty point system. That should inspire them enough, don’t you think?” Trace explains.

“You’re making yourself the students enemy,”Stephen speaks up.

“I’m making them do what they’re supposed to do in the first place. And if the students rally against a common enemy, it will give them as sense of camaraderie, an that’s something I’m also hoping for,” Trace says nonchalantly.

It’s not just each person that will have to behave, Miss President is also forcing all the classes to form some sort of cooperation., Elaiza thinks. She really is cool.

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“That finishes our orientation for this morning. This afternoon will be spent for your in-class orientations to be conducted by your respective class advisers. Tomorrow morning, we’ll have a meeting of the class mayors for their orientation on the role. We have thirty minutes left. For now, we’re requesting everyone to proceed to the school’s field to help pick up the trash that was left there this morning. Loitering is one of our penalty areas, and we all have to clean after ourselves, rights? The members of the SSC will assist you and make sure you’re all working hard. You can easily spot them with their pretty sashes, right?” Trace says brightly.

The bell rings.

“Now everyone, please exit the dome in an orderly manner and proceed to the field,” Trace instructs.

She turns towards her council members.

“Go watch over them. They should still listen to you now. Proceed to the council room after the lunch break. We’ll make our next move then,” she says.

So cool! She’s cool when she’s serious too! Elaiza thinks further as she walks outside. Will she ever be that cool? Nah, no chance. But still…Alright! I’ll try my best too, Elaiza says to herself. I’m the vice president after all.

 

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Everyone is pretty quiet as they carried out the president’s orders. There’s no usual chatter, no playful banters. Everyone is just silently picking up trash.

Alright, I just have to watch over them and make sure they’re cleaning and not doing anything penalty worthy. That’s what the council is now, the ghost busters, or rather,  the  penalty hunters!

She walks towards a group of men all bundled up while standing. Then she stops in her tracks. Retreat retreat retreat! Wrong track! That’s Ivan the skull dude. He has a tattoo of a skull on his back. He’s bad news, Elaiza thinks. She’s scared of people with tattoos. Those who can endure the pain of being punched by needles can do so much scarier stuff. Plus, she heard Ivan can break rocks with his teeth and grind them into powder with his hands. He’s scary.

Too late! Ivan already noticed her. Elaiza stops in her tracks. Ivan stares at her, moving an inch forward. Elaiza tries to step back, but she can’t.

Oh no! This is it for her! Ivan the skull guy is gonna pulverize her, Elaiza thinks.

Suddenly, Ivan crouches down, picking up a plastic bottle off the ground, still staring at Elaiza.

Shock. So is he gonna pulverize me or not? Why is he still staring. That’s when Elaiza realized that she’s staring too. She breaks the staring contest, letting go of a breath she didn’t know she was holding in. From the corner of her eye, she sees Ivan walk towards the nearest trash can, throwing away the bottle he picked up.

Whoo! That was close, Elaiza thinks. I don’t know how Miss President does it. She has more than a thousand people eyeing her and she remains unfazed. Elaiza only had Ivan to face, and she nearly froze to death. She really is cool.

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