"Hi, I'm Selina," the tall bespectacled girl introduced herself, "Selina Garcia."
"I'm Sandra Gould, or Sandy," Sandy said, since she was the only one left whose name had not been introduced. She adjusted the strap of her schoolbag. "I haven't seen you before."
"The three of us are from the same middle school," Esper told Selina.
"Oh, right. I just moved from out of state over the summer," Selina explained. She glanced at the little watch on her wrist. "It's almost time for the assembly. We should go."
***
The new school year began with an assembly in the gym. It started with a brief welcome and introduction by a teacher, followed by a speech from the principal. The principal formally welcomed the new freshmen and the returning students with his monotonous tone. After that, he droned on with his short introduction to the school. His tone did not change at all, nor were there any pause, when he expressed his hope for the future. Up until the end, when he wished the students the best, his tone remained as flat as the level driveway.
And the students had to stand through the ordeal, each of them in a pair of orderly lines according to class. The only chairs in the gym were on the stage for the teachers and one lucky senior student.
Of the students, a good fifty-one percent escaped the torture of the flat speech by daydreaming. Twenty-eight percent simply blanked their minds. Nine percent were plotting their escape, most of these through unreasonable means that would look like something out of an action movie. Like heavy vehicles crashing through the walls. Or assassins descending on ropes from the ceiling to silence the source of the speech. And explosions, the staple of action movies.
Ten percent were actually listening to the speech. Yes, there really were teenagers who could pay attention to the most numbing of speeches.
The final two percent were seniors who were reciting the speech from heart. The principal's speech was the exact same one given year after year. It had been more than enough to etch the speech into these seniors' memories.
After that was a welcome message from an outstanding student, selected from the previous year's most promising juniors, who became that lucky student on the stage with a seat. That year, it was the president of the Drama Club who had been accorded the honor. His speech was much more lively and interesting and was more than able to distract the students from their aching knees.
When that speech was over, there were a few announcements before the assembly was dismissed. Students then started for their classrooms, for their first homeroom of the year to sort out administrative details.
Sandy had been one of the fifty-one percent. She had escaped reality into a daydream of searching for her promised wealth. She had imagined herself digging up her new school for treasure. And she had struck gold by unearthing a pot of that precious metal.
While the honored student was giving his speech, Sandy had been digging up the driveway with heavy machinery she had bought with the pot of gold. She found an ancient vault that promised untold wealth. As she was about to open the vault, a poisoned dart hit her in the arm.
Sandy jumped back in surprise.
"What's wrong with you?" Ariel asked. She still held out the finger she had used to poke Sandy with. "You've been standing there with a blank look."
"Ah, just thinking for a bit." Sandy looked around. The assembly was over and the students were already heading back to class.
It was time for a possibly boring day of school.
***
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