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[District 13 - Galehollow. Gale Phantom Preparatory School, Class 4-C.]
The classroom buzzed with murmurs, whispers, and fidgeting. It wasn't silent, but not overly loud either.
Students kept darting their eyes to the door and the blackboard, eagerly waiting for their teacher.
There's this quaint tension in the atmosphere. The students looked uneasy and impatient, yet none of them voicedtheir complaints; they didn't dare to because they didn't want to jinx anything, just in case.
Tak! Tak! Tak!
"She's here! She's here!"
"Huh? How did you even know she's here?"
"It'd be weird if I hadn't memorized the sound of her heels by now; she's been our teacher for more than five years."
"Ah, shit. You're right. Damn! I'm so nervous!"
The tension in the air became electric. Students behaved themselves, patiently waiting for their teacher to enter the classroom. But because of their nerves, the seconds felt like they were stretching for years.
It's obvious that their behavior was unusual. Anybody who knew this bunch of students would know how loud and obnoxious they are. They are listed as one of the noisiest classes and always got in trouble with teachers because of it.
But knowing what they're waiting for, nobody could really blame them. These kids had been waiting for this day for nearly a decade now; they were simply at the cusp of exploding from impatience. Some are even practically at the edge of their seats right now.
Then, she entered.
A lady wearing round and rimmed glasses with long hair tied in a ponytail. She wore professional attire: a long-sleeved brown shirt with white stripes, a pencil skirt, black heels, and a blazer.
Her sharp eyes scanned the room, causing the students to swallow nervously at her presence. She wasn't that tall at all, but the way she carried herself made her look like she was the tallest in this room.
This was Ms. Vina, their homeroom teacher and advisor, the only teacher that could handle their noisy asses in the past five years, and the only one who could terrorize them into obedience.
Don't be fooled by her kind and delicate appearance; even this school's dean was afraid of this little firecracker, and the students of this class were no better.
Sigh...
The students' hearts sank as they heard her exhausted sigh. In the years she taught this class, her doing this could only mean that things aren't looking great, and that's enough for the students to feel a weight pressing down their hearts, making it a little difficult for them to breathe.
Still, nobody dared to talk. They all waited for her to say something.
"False alarm." Her tight and indifferent voice echoed in the room.
Her words seemingly sapped away all the energy, excitement, and anticipation they all felt before she appeared, plunging the entire room into a depressing mood.
"Aww..."
"Dang it, I was looking forward to it too."
"Me too, I couldn't even get a wink of sleep last night."
The disappointed murmurs of the students filled the room. Only a few dared to voice out their disappointment, though, and even they had to whisper it. Others merely shook their heads and tried their best to look unaffected, even though deep down, they were just as disappointed as the rest.
"Man...I really want to awaken soon." This sentiment was shared amongst all students of this class.
Awakening. That's the whole reason why the class was behaving strangely.
In fact, the whole reason why the government ordered all six-year-old children to enroll in a preparatory school, forcing them to spend more or less than a decade in them, was for the sake of 'awakening.'
What is this awakening?
To be more specific, it refers to [The Professional Awakening Ceremony]—it's a rite of passage for those who reached 16 years old, a transitionary event that would induct them into the real world.
It's the Era of the Professionals. The Professional Era. And this era began with the conception of humans. It's all they knew since they were born and everything they had until they died, and it probably will never change.
As the name suggests, this era is biased towards the professionals. Everybody can become a professional. But in truth, it's not about the capability; it's about necessity. Because those who refused to be awakened essentially don't exist in the eyes of the world.
"Oh, psh. Come on, kids, don't be so dramatic." Ms. Vina sneered at her foolish chicks. "It's a false alarm since it was never scheduled today. Somebody was just messing with you."
"It isn't going to happen today because it's scheduled to happen on Monday, so quit moping and get your shit together." Ms. Vina chuckled at her students, who are now gaping at her.
That's when all hell breaks loose.
"What the hell!? Who was it?"
"Yeah, who's messing with us!? Don't they know who we are!?"
"Don't let me know who you are!!"
The students felt tension ebbing away from their bodies; it was then replaced by outrage and indignation knowing that somebody pranked them. This simply couldn't pass; they aren't the loudest and the most notorious class for no reason, so the hunt was on.
Ms. Vina, knowing that the loudness of her students was starting to become a little too much, took a deep breath and roared:
"SILENCE, YOU FOOLS!"
"..."
Yep. That's why she's the only one who could handle these brats; it's because she's louder and meaner than them.
Sighing as she felt a headache coming, she tapped on her screen a few times. Behind her, the board flickered to life. In tandem with her rhythmic tapping, letters began appearing in a neat and organized font on the display board. It says:
'Combat,' 'Lifestyle,' and 'Hybrid.'
Some students groaned upon seeing what she wrote. But before they could complain, Ms. Vina was already talking.
"I know, I know. This again." She sighed. "I know that you already know what I'm about to say. Some of you might even recite it word for word. I also don't like repeating myself, but alas, that's my job, so you're just going to have to deal with it. I can't afford to be penalized and lose some reputation."
That silenced their complaints. Ms. Vina cleared her throat and began her lesson.
"Standing between you and the Professional Awakening Ceremony is the weekend. Don't be impatient; you've already waited for nearly a decade for this; two more days isn't much compared to that."
"I'll tell you to not be anxious, but I know better. Some of you are already losing sleep over it. A few are even shameless enough to use that as an excuse for sleeping in my class."
A chill ran down the spine of those who were guilty, especially after the teacher's gaze grazed past their faces.
"Let me remind you for, probably, the last time ever, that there are three main types of professions: combat, lifestyle, and hybrid professionals."
"Combat professionals are straightforward. They are the ones who can fight and earn glory for our civilization. They could arm themselves with armor and weapons, they can use combat arts and spells, they can punch mountains, cause tsunamis at a mere wave of their hands, and so on. They are the army that protects us from the dangers of this world."
"Lifestyle Professionals are the hands that build our society. They are the ones that built our houses, roads, clothes, etc. They are the ones who forged the weapons and armor of the combat specialists; they are the ones who raised cattle and plowed farms so that we can eat. They are the ones who structure how our society should work and passed on laws to keep everything in order."
"And finally, there are the hybrid professionals. They are people who could potentially do the jobs of both the combat and lifestyle professionals. Although this sounds great in theory, in truth, being a hybrid puts more pressure on their shoulders because they are expected to excel in both."
"On Monday, all of you will discover where you fall under these categories," Ms. Vina stated, pausing to let that sink in for a bit.
"Some of you will be happy, and some were bound to be disappointed. One thing's for sure, the Awakening Ceremony will never be wrong. It doesn't matter if you think that you're more suitable to be a Combat Pro when, upon the awakening, you discover that your affinity is the strongest with the Lifestyle Professions instead."
"While it's true that your lineage and family history 'can' influence your affinity, it is 'NOT' a certainty. The system gains nothing from lying to you, so if it told you what your affinity is, that is it; don't question it, don't bargain. Accept it and move on. If you don't, you're just asking for trouble."
"Is that understood!?"
"Yes, Ms. Vina," the class echoed.
"Good!"
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The bell rang, disrupting the silence of the classroom. That was a signal that the class ended already. Ms. Vina adjusted her glasses and said,
"Alright, take it easy, brats. I'll see you all on Monday. Don't be late."
The class responded positively to her words once more before they started pouring out of the room one by one or by groups.
Ms. Vina remained at her desk to clean it up before she left. When she looked up for a brief moment, she saw one student remained with her in the room.
It was a young man who's lean and pale. He gingerly rearranged the messy desks that his classmates left behind, occasionally crouching down to pick up some trash he saw.
"TJ, we have janitors for a reason. The school isn't mistreating or underpaying them, so don't go around stealing their jobs. They might hate you for that."
The student looked at her. His face morphed into an awkward and strained smile, but he didn't stop what he was doing either.
Ms. Vina shook her head and continued with what she was doing. As she did, she vaguely recalled what she knew about this student.
He's an odd one. She often wondered who put him in this class because he just didn't fit in.
Compared to his classmates, TJ was polite, quiet, and slow. He stood at the opposite spectrum of what his classmates were. He was so silent that he just blended into the background. Ms. Vina wonders if the class even knew that they had a classmate like him.
After a while, Ms. Vina finally wrapped up all of her stuff. She stood up from her seat, but as she was about to start hauling her things, another set of hands began helping her carry the heavier stuff.
She paused to look, just long enough to wonder how this boy's think frame was able to carry the things that even she struggled to hold together without even a change in his expression.
But this wasn't the first time he took the initiative to help her. In fact, it's already a routine at this point.
'Such a good child, alas...'
Vina shut off that train of thought before it went too far. Instead, she smiled at the helpful and kind young man who trailed off behind her, carrying the rest of her stuff.
They walked until they reached the teacher's faculty room. TJ moved with practiced ease and familiarity, putting down the things he's carrying in their proper spots even without the teacher telling him to.
This earned him a pat on the shoulder from his teacher. She would've ruffled his hair and called him a good boy, but unfortunately, the boy was already taller than her, so that would've been awkward.
"Thank you for today, Teacher. See you on Monday." The boy smiled awkwardly and waved.
"Mn. You too. Be careful on the way and don't wander around. Straight back to your home you go, understood?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Good. Eat more and sleep well. Don't be late Monday; now shoo!"
The boy awkwardly nodded and waved before walking out of the room. Vina sent him off with a gaze. As he disappeared from the room, the teacher found herself sighing sadly at the poor boy.
'I hope that boy learns how to smile genuinely one day.'