The air was stifling. Smoke filled the room and the fire lit the small chamber in a bright red hue that could nearly blind. The only sounds the three of them made were from their shovels as they added more and more coal to the underground furnace that was responsible for heating up the teacher’s quarters above. That was their punishment, the infamous community service. Jacy now understood why the rumor might have been true. Not only was this kind of work damaging for anyone with less than steely lungs, but the solitude was also hard to bear for a single person. They were lucky they were three, though that also meant sharing one tiny room that belonged to the man who actually did this for a living and who was now taking a probably well-deserved break even if at their own expense. He was only there to explain what they had to do, bring them food, and check if everything went smoothly. Apparently they were doing a stellar job and could almost pass for hard working youths and not “some brainy brats”. The bed was big enough to accommodate two with a little effort, so they took turns sharing it. This intimacy was not completely unwelcomed, especially since they were usually too tired to talk, so the only way to comfort each other during a particular rough shift was by simply coexisting.

Jacy was pretty confident that he might make it without much physical or psychical damage, though he did wish he had a different, stronger pair of lungs. But the real surprise was Iv. She was carrying heavy sacks of coal without much struggle, ignoring his and Nik’s attempts to help her. Clearly, she needed none. Whenever she did something that seemed to contradict with her small and delicate body, the two boys would turn at each other and silently express their amazement. Equally surprising though was how bad Nik seemed to be doing. The smoke made it seem as if he was shaking, but he never dropped anything and as soon as the air cleared a little, he was back to normal. Might have just been Jacy’s mind playing tricks on him.

It was now their third day. By the following morning, they would be back to normal. The man promised them he would bargain with the principal for them to get a day to rest (or rather catch up with schoolwork) for all the good work they had done. The only way they could rest more, Jacy guessed, was if they ended up in the hospital.

They were currently taking a small break, sitting against the wall and staring at the fire that would probably be imprinted on their eyelids long after they’d got out of there. Nik was looking worse by the hour and that is when it hit Jacy that these two next to him were only 16. They seemed so mature at times.

“No child should have to do this,” he said.

“Obviously. But it’s only three days for us. Others have it worse.” Iv had a point.

“Whoever had the idea of subjecting kids to this should do this themselves. It would be only fair,” Nik said with a faint voice. Something about how young and vulnerable he looked in that moment made something in Jacy snap.

“But the world isn’t fair. So we, the ‘brainy brats’ that they are training to be the rulers of tomorrow, need to fix this. If one more person has to suffer in this school…I suggest we burn it.”

He wasn’t looking for their reactions, but he guessed by their silence that he might have taken it too far. So he was surprised to eventually hear Iv say:

“Well now we know how to.”

Nik only hummed in response, but he put his hand out and the other two understood that they were now making a pact. These were not just words spoken out of anger. This was a promise.

***

 The axe in his hand, the logs of wood falling from the impact and the sun burning his skin felt like heaven to Shiro. He needed a physical outlet to release his anger and frustrations, so when they were looking for volunteers to cut up wood for tonight’s campfire he was the first on the list. It was an annual tradition where the English teacher, an old lady that you didn’t know whether to hate or love, encouraged the students to read ballads around the fire to better understand their oral nature. A lovely idea, Shiro thought, especially since he grew up on folktales told from generation to generation, but this year neither his mind nor heart were in it.

“Do you need any help?” He could recognize that voice anywhere, but he still looked up to see Hendrick staring at the way he gripped the axe with probably more force than necessary. Like him, he abandoned his jacket as the atmosphere was stifling because of the burning sun.

“Does it look like I need any?”

“No. Just thought I’d offer a hand.”

“Since when are we being nice to each other?”

He knew he was being hostile even though he didn’t always mean it. But he couldn’t let Hendrick know that. He couldn’t know that he had forgiven him a long time ago.

Hendrick didn’t get to answer as Kyle and a group of other students approached them.

“This, my friends, is what real effort looks like,” Kyle began what Shiro assumed would be another one of his infamous speeches. The guy really acted as if every second of his life was a potential presidential campaign. “We may pride ourselves on the intellectual effort we make every single day, but great as that may be, there is something about the simple physical work that should be appreciated. When the world will replace workers with machines, our bodies will miss the strain of such menial work.”

Shiro doubted Kyle ever even held a tool in his hands and by his reaction, he knew Hendrick thought the same.

“Well Shiro here works as accurately as any robot might.”

“Indeed,” said Kyle as he was inspecting the perfectly cut logs. “You surely must have done this before wherever you came from. Practice must have made perfect.”

“It’s my first time doing this.” Which was true…as far as he could remember.

“Oh, then please, give us a demonstration,” Kyle said, to which his group of followers enthusiastically agreed. He recognized one of them, a fellow second-year named Enrique. He knew he was the sender of the love letters he got a year ago. They were flattering for a few weeks, then it got boring so he manifested they would stop. They did.

Shiro positioned a new log, lifted his axe and… got it stuck in the wood. On purpose.

“Oops. Maybe you would like to try since I seem to have lost my lucky strike.”

He heard Kyle and his group depart with a quick “we have other plans”, but he was more focused on how Hendrick was trying to hide his snicker. He obviously knew that he was faking it to mock Kyle. He liked that at least when it came to the student president, they could be on the same side. He allowed himself to smirk back at him and then he went back to work, his grip on the axe less tight than before.

***

Jabari was in a hurry. Arriving late to the campfire would attract attention, which he didn’t need nor desire, so he had one minute to pass the school’s long corridors and get out into the field. Good thing the smoke was guiding him as it was visible from the windows and once he got outside the noise and the light from the fire against the darkness of the sky pointed him towards the students who were already sitting down. Well, at least Kyle hadn’t started his speech, Jabari thought, so he couldn’t be that late.

He easily spotted Svea in the crowd, her blonde hair shining by the firelight, and once he sat down next to her on the big logs placed around the fire he also noticed Shiro and Hendrick, two people in between them. Kyle, as usual, was standing in the center, all eyes on him.

“Where have you been?” Svea whispered as Kyle had just started his speech, something about how this was not just an exercise, but an opportunity to bond over poetry. What was with this guy and his speeches, Jabari was yet to understand. Still, he didn’t want to risk disturbing him, so he promised to tell Svea later.

About an hour of ballads later, only less than twenty people remained. The space between Shiro and Hendrick was still the same, he noticed, despite the two people leaving. Kyle was in the same position, only rarely sitting down next to Tyler when someone else took the spotlight to recite. When everyone had said their piece, someone in the circle proposed they played truth and dare to everyone’s excitement, except the president’s. He was about to protest, Jabari could tell, so he decided to play with fire and provoke him. After all, this was his opportunity to reveal some rather interesting truths, but he had to gage his reaction first.

“You said this was also a bonding opportunity, right? Then let us bond.”

He could tell no one expected him to talk. First years barely did, so maybe the shock made Kyle stall, which gave Tyler enough time to ask ‘truth or dare’. If there was one thing Kyle would not do, it would be denying his brother of anything. Jabari had enough proof of that.

The challenges were pretty mild as no one really knew each other. Jabari waited for the right timing. People were getting bored quick, though, so when only twelve of them were left, he took his chance.

“Kyle. Truth or dare?”

“The dares so far have been really uninspired so truth.”

“Is it true that you manipulated Tyler’s entrance score?”

The silence was deafening. Only the fire crackling reminded Jabari that they were not frozen in time. He could not take this back. Nor did he want to now that he saw the shocked faces of everyone around him. Everyone but Hendrick who rather seemed as if his suspicions have been confirmed.

“Kyle, what is he talking about? It’s impossible to manipulate the results, right? Tell him!”

He really felt bad for Tyler. The boy has been through a lot in less than week and he was just adding to that. But the truth had to come to light.

“They cannot be manipulated as it is an online exam. But if a certain technical error invalidated the answers, according to the exam guidelines, a second attempt is allowed at a date established by the exam board. Kyle probably saw the email informing you that the processing of the answers was unsuccessful, might have even orchestrated that himself, and, with the approval of the principal with whom he seems to be so intimate with, he sat the exam the second time instead. Barely passing so as not to raise your suspicions, but passing nonetheless.”

He could tell by Kyle’s expression that he was right. He could also tell that the boy was angry and that he was going to retaliate.

“Since we are revealing truths, why doesn’t Svea say what truly happened the night of the ball?”

It was their turn to be shocked. The four of them looked at each other. He could feel Svea trembling next to him. He wished he could comfort her but that might have confirmed her involvement and his complicity.

“What makes you say that?” It was Hendrick talking. Now Kyle turned his attention to him. His face revealed nothing, unlike his and Svea’s.

“I know my brother’s type. He was talking about wanting to invite a blonde girl to the ball. And he’s not interested in drinking. The only way he would have gone to the forest is if a girl he liked lured him there. He can be naïve like that. My question is…why would your roommate cover for you?” His gaze was once again fixed on Svea.

“I can’t believe this! Are you really going to throw blame around and call me naïve just so that you can avoid the subject? You didn’t deny it, so it’s true! Why?”

Jabari was grateful that Tyler provided a distraction from Kyle’s inquiries, but the hurt in his voice made him feel guilty. They kept involving him in whatever rivalry was forming and it wasn’t fair. There is no war without casualties, he knew, but now he was wondering why it even felt as if they were preparing for one in the first place.

“You wouldn’t be here with me otherwise.”

He expected Tyler to storm out, or cuss his brother out, but when he looked at him he discovered that his gaze was stuck far in the distance.

“We are back!” It was without mistake Jacy’s voice. He could now see two figures approaching, dressed in black jumpers, their movements slow, as if it hurt to even move.

“But Nik is in the hospital.”

This. This was why there had to be war. But not between each other. A war with whoever came up with this ridiculous punishment for them, whatever it was. He noticed Svea crying next to him so he put his arm around her, watching Tyler finally storm out in tears. Kyle went to hug Jacy and apologize to him. He doubted how sincere that was. Shiro went straight to Iv and Jabari thought he might have said he missed her, but he couldn’t focus with everything going on. Most of the other students were getting louder after witnessing all the revelations, which is what also prompted Kyle to get back in charge.

“No one here says a word about any of this. If you do, I will make sure the three of them aren’t the only ones this year who will skip class. Now swear by the fire!”

A chorus of ‘I swear’ ’s erupted. It looked like a medieval ritual, he thought, but he supposed that they were all buzzing with the excitement of being part of a secret. The stories of elite groups and secret societies formed in prestigious schools came to mind and he now recalled his parents’ warning that he might get tangled up with the wrong people. It seemed stupid back then. Maybe it was not, knowing what he now knew.

He saw Kyle motioning to him. He left Svea with a gentle pat on the back and approached the boy, who was at a small distance from the group.

“How did you find out?”

He expected this.

“Sneaked into the principal’s office. I seem to be the only one who read the staff’s schedule as well. I looked for the exam results and saw two attempts registered under Tyler’s name. The rest was just pure guesswork and intuition.” And that was the truth. Tyler wasn’t particularly bright, so it wasn’t a leap to figure out he had some help.

Kyle observed him. He was slightly unnerved, but he knew he had no reason to be. Kyle had the influence, but he had the upper hand.

 “I know you are somehow involved in Tyler’s incident, but I will stop investigating it if you stop digging for dirt as well. You have proved your worth to me. Let’s not ruin that.”

By proving his worth he knew he meant he would no longer be seen as just the scholarship student. But more interesting was that Kyle let on that there was something more to investigate beyond just a corrupt system. He would worry about this later. For now, his priority was making sure his new friends were alright. He saw Jacy staring at the fire, something burning brighter in his eyes. Maybe war is not the right word. He had always hated it. But as he watched the boy a new idea came to mind. They needed a revolution.