Chapter Two

Cam squeezed through rows of orderly yellow plastic tables and benches in the school cookhouse, bumping into his peers to reach the back of the straight line of students in front of large, steaming, silver cannisters. The thick and bland smell of boiled vegetable water hung in the air. There was always something synthetic about it, and it reminded him of the scent of a new stress ball. The first whiff always bothered him, but the hunger and fatigue eventually overpowered him, and he would wolf down whatever was in front of him without complaint.

The food packet handed out by the students on duty that week was neatly proportioned – a portion of greens and carrots floating in a watery stew, a side of moist potatoes and cabbage, and a portion of white rice. This was one of Cam’s preferred meals, as its wetness allowed him to shovel it down his throat quickly.

Miles and Thed, Cam’s other best friend, joined him at a bench at the back of the canteen, the same spot they chose every day for a year. People often said that the three of them looked like brothers, but Cam never saw it. Miles had thick and curly hair and a sharper jaw, while Thed was much stockier, despite running almost daily as a student Cadet. The three of them stuck as a group since they were in the same class since primary school, always sitting or standing together at any rare opportunities they had to choose where they sat.

Cam took off his squarish black spectacles before he ate since they were always slipping off when he looked down.

“Would you rather marry a completely average girl, or a super pretty and perfect girl, who also happens to have a pet rock?” asked Miles.

“The regular one,” Thed replied immediately.

“What about you, Cam?” asked Thed.

“I bet the pet rock is a plus for him,” grinned Miles. “He can relate to it.”

“What are the specifics? Is it a magic rock?” asked Cam. “Does it grant wishes?”

“No, she just brings it everywhere with her in her handbag. Sometimes she takes it out and pets it or sings it a lullaby. Sometimes she puts it on the table while you two are eating together,” Miles explained, mid-chew.

Cam thought for a moment. “You’re right. I like the rock girl,” he replied.

The three of them giggled as they gulped down their meal. Their mouths and stomachs were now accustomed to the food, with only a few menus in rotation. Breakfast was always the best, since there was toast that they could choose how much butter and jam they could put on. The Milo and Horlicks served was always diluted, but it was good enough to dunk their bread in.

Lunch was generally rice accompanied by a bland stew or a leafy vegetable and some potatoes or chicken. Dinner often consisted of some leftovers from lunch along with a fresh vegetable. Occasionally, thin white noodles were served instead of rice, and on special occasions, there were little tub of ice cream given out for dessert. Because there were only two cooks in the school, a lot of the food was brought in and directly cooked. Students were also rostered to help in the kitchen, sacrificing some break time to wash dishes.

Cam never joined in his friend’s rants about the monotony of their menu. Food was merely a necessity for him now, just fuel to get through the day. He set down his spoon after cleaning off the last grain of rice and looked over at Miles’s plate. As always, there was a morsel left.

“Could we join you? There’s no more space anywhere else.”

Two boys stood before them. Their neatly ironed uniforms were two sizes too big, tucked tightly into their trousers and thin, blue-rimmed spectacles. They had a look in their eyes that made it unmistakable that they were new. It was a kind of nervousness that Cam found different from tension or stress. Their nervousness came from not knowing what to expect, and stress seemed more like a heaviness that came with knowing.

“Sure,” Miles replied, scooting over. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Shiva. This is Xia Jun. This is our first day,” replied one of the boys.

Miles introduced them.

“You look like brothers,” he laughed.

“What? No,” Shiva replied.

“You look so similar,” Miles said.

The boys went back to chomping down their rice.

As usual, Thed was the first to try and break the awkward silence. “So, what school were guys in before here?”

The pair explained that they were in the same school before, where they received a scholarship for Science and Math after their project proposal for a tracking device for elderly folks won them a national award.

Cam was mildly impressed. There were plenty of prodigies and overachievers amongst the school’s population. According to the teachers, they were all cherry-picked to be there. Cam found it strange whenever they said that, since he had never been a stand-out student anytime in his life, or excelled in any subject.

“You guys are going to hate it so much here,” said Miles, shaking his head. Thed and Cam laughed.

“It’s not that bad,” Thed offered, still grinning.

Both Shiva and Xia Jun looked confused. The student Councillors must have spent all morning drilling into their skulls how this was the greatest place on earth.

“To survive here, you need to follow some real rules. Not that nonsense the principal talked about,” said Miles.

“Don’t listen to anything he says,” Thed laughed off Miles’ claim.

Miles ignored him. “First of all. You need to find a clique for yourself. Like a family. People who understand you. People you can count on. That’s the best way to stay sane here.”

rule zero: never side with them.

“It doesn’t seem to be working out for you,” muttered Cam.

“And next,” Miles continued, “you must avoid certain teachers at all costs. If they catch you breaking school rules, they will give you hell. Even for simple things, like wearing your socks under your ankles. Mr. Nasim is one of the most psycho ones. He enjoys punishing us. And his punishments are always sadistic.”

“In what way?” asked Shiva.

“He always gives physical punishments, like we’re in the military. He loves making us run rounds in the hot sun.”

Cam fought the urge to chime in, feeling that Miles was probably doing a better job of explaining than he would.

“Ms. D is worse,” Thed added. “She doesn’t punish us physically, but she will make you go crazy.”

“How?” asked the nervous junior Shiva.

“If you don’t meet her standards, she’ll just make you stand still for EVER. There was once she made me stand straight for twenty minutes because I made three careless mistakes on an Advanced Math test. She said every time I moved, she would increase the time by five minutes.”

Xia Jun gasped.

“Mr. Nasim is scary, but Ms. Margaret is the worst,” Miles continued. “Nobody dares to even speak when she’s around. She does not just give physical punishments, she gets psychological.”

“She does care a lot, I guess,” Thed said. “That’s why she goes after us so fiercely.”

“But she cares too much,” Miles protested. “And we care about ourselves, too.”

“I don’t think we’re going to be breaking any rules in the first place,” said Shiva.

“You will. Everything is against school rules,” said Miles. “That’s another tip. Don’t even bother trying to follow all the rules.”

Cam and Thed chuckled as the juniors frowned.

“You must be smart. Breaking rules can help you stand out in a good way,” Miles explained. “See, I tuck out my shirt just slightly…” he stood up to point at his shirt. “With a fold here. That way, I look cooler than everyone else.”

“You were punished eleven times for that last year,” Thed remarked.

“Why are you keeping track?” Miles smirked. “The teachers are just biased against me. They hate me, so they’ll try and punish me whenever they can. That’s another tip. The teachers pick favourites. And a ton of your peers will become bootlickers to be their favourites. Whatever you do, DO NOT become a boot licker. Your roommates, classmates, group mates, and tablemates should be your family. Never side with the teachers over them.”

Cam nodded in agreement, and the newbies frowned.

“I know, it sounds scary,” said Miles. “But don’t worry, we’ll have each other’s backs. It won’t be that bad.”

“It will be bad,” Thed chuckled. “You guys made a big mistake coming here.”

“Don’t scare them,” said Cam.

“But it’s the truth,” said Thed. “The teachers here completely disregard our needs for rights and privacy. And they are hiding so much from us.”

“Don’t go into all your conspiracies with them; they just got here,” laughed Miles.

“Just think about it. How come we are only allowed to eat food from this kitchen?” asked Thed. “They must be putting something into it. To make us more obedient.”

Miles shook his head, and the newbies stared at their plates.

thed keeps being right.

“This place is bad, but think of it this way- when you are finished, you will have accomplished something”, Cam cut in. “And you will have great stories to tell. And great friends.”

He was about to go on, but he was interrupted by the blaring of the school bell.

“We have to go for the school tour now,” Shiva groaned, scooping up his half-eaten plate of food.

“All right, try and have fun!” grinned Miles.