Faizal leaned back amid scattered papers.

Lightning flashed outside.

His shadow stretched across the wall.

He glanced at the file.

Cocurricular: Orienteering.

“…they will still get lost.”

A pause.

“…good.”

He closed it.

Nazha spotted Faizal between stacks of files—only his head visible above the papers.

“…sir, you look like an ostrich. I can barely see your torso.”

Faizal paused and looked up.

A calm glare.

“I am mastering the art of deception.”

___

She spotted the orienteering note on the calendar.

A small pause.

“…tomorrow’s the chaos day,” she said.

Faizal didn’t look up.

“That’s one way to describe co-curricular learning,” he replied.

Wednesday arrived.

Classes ended earlier than usual.

The school shifted tone—less academic, more movement.

___

Students gathered at Dewan Saujana in their uniform bodies.

Scouts, Girl Guides, and Kadet Remaja, mixed in colour and formation.

Noise filled the space—shifting, calling, adjusting ranks.

___

Reina stood at the front of the Girls’ Guide queue, clipboard in hand, calling out Form 2 names one by one.

She checked, marked, and moved on.

A young leader in the making—still learning how to hold authority without rushing it.

___

Faizal passed the microphone to Nazha.

She blinked—caught off guard.

Teaching in class was one thing. Standing in front of the hall was another.

___

“For you,” Faizal said, winking. “Bonus round.”

___

Nazha took the mic.

A small smile appeared.

Her grip tightened slightly around the handle.

From the side of the stage, Megat, Syarah, Rizuan (HEM), and Lamdin (Co-curriculum) observed the setup.

___

Megat’s gaze lingered a little too long.

There was a faint spark in his eyes as he watched her take charge of the hall.

___

Syarah leaned slightly toward him.

“Sir… you’re being obvious with the familiarity.”

Megat paused.

“Oh.”

He scratched his head lightly, eyes still on the stage.

“Assalamualaikum and good afternoon.”

Her voice was steady—but softer than her teaching voice in class.

___

“Today’s co-curricular activity is orienteering.”

A slide appeared behind her.

Maps. Symbols. Group labels.

___

“You will work in your uniformed bodies, but your task today is not just about speed.”

A glance across the hall.

___

“It is about accuracy, teamwork, and decision-making under limited information.”

___

She clicked to the next slide.

Rules appeared clearly.

“One: follow the checkpoints in order.
Two: Every answer must be supported by evidence from the map or environment.
Three: all group members must contribute.”

___

“If your group disagrees… You don’t split.”

Her tone shifted slightly.

“You verify together.”

___

She looked down briefly at her notes.

Then back up.

___

“At the final station, groups may converge. You are allowed to compare answers—but only through discussion, not assumption.”

"Remember—this is not a race of individuals.”

Her voice softened slightly.

“It is a test of how well you move as a unit.”

___

She lowered the mic slightly.

“Any questions?”

___

No questions came from the hall.

Nazha nodded once.

___

Groups began to form.

Girls’ Guide—led by Reina.

Kadet Remaja Sekolah—by Nathan.

And Scouts—

Nazha paused for a second.

“Asyera?” she repeated, a hint of surprise in her tone.

___

At the back, Asyera raised her hand casually.

“Present, teacher.”

All groups gathered at the starting point—Dewan Saujana.

Other groups filled the space beyond them—Forms 1 to 5, scattered in their own clusters.

Different uniforms. Different energy.

Some are already moving. Some are still figuring things out.

Maps were handed out. First clues, sealed.

___

“You’ll solve each station in sequence,” Nazha briefed. “The final clue leads to your prize.”

A small pause.

___

“At the coconut trees near the hostel.”

___

Across the field, Faizal was already there leaning against one of the trees, holding the final envelope like it meant nothing.

Watching.

Waiting.

A whistle blew.

Groups scattered.

___

Girls’ Guide — Reina’s group

Reina moved first.

“Left. Faster.”

Hasya barely had time to unfold the map.

“Reina—wait—”

Rachel turned, scanning the surroundings instead of the paper.

“I think we passed a sign just now…”

Reina frowned.

“We just started.”

___

KRS — Nathan’s group

Nathan held the map steady.

“So, if we align this with the hall, we should rotate—”

Noel nodded along.

“Ya, makes sense.”

Randell pointed once.

“Start here.”

Silence.

Nathan glanced down.

“…right.”

___

Scouts — Asyera’s group

Asyera flipped the map upside down.

“Why does everything look the same?”

Sasha laughed.

“Just pick one lah!”

Iffah reached in, turning it back.

“Wait. We read first.”

Asyera grinned.

“…or we trust vibes?”

Nazha followed Reina’s group from a distance, staying just outside their path.

Reina was the focus—this was her lane.

__

Zack, the strict Mathematics teacher and Scouts’ advisor, kept a sharp eye on Asyera’s group. He didn’t follow them closely, but nothing escaped his attention.

__

Isaac, assigned to monitor the KRS boys, chose to remain at the checkpoint instead. He preferred observation over movement—letting Nathan’s group navigate without interference.

Reina’s group arrived at the checkpoint. The stones were arranged in a pattern pointing in a clear direction.

Hasya narrowed her eyes.

“Why is it pointing in a direction?” she asked.

Reina already stepped closer.

“Maybe it’s telling us where to go,” she said, half-certain, half-declaring it.

She started aligning the map immediately.

“North is this way, so we just follow—”

___

Rachel tilted her head.

She didn’t look at the map.

She looked past it.

Then up.

___

“There’s a tree over there,” Hasya said suddenly. “I can climb and check from above.”

Before anyone could respond, she was already halfway up the trunk.

___

From above, Hasya called down, slightly breathless.

“…okay, I can see the layout better now. The stones are forming a pattern.”

___

Rachel glanced up.

Then back at Reina.

Then softly:

“It’s not just direction.”

___

Hasya, still in the tree, paused.

Then called down bluntly:

“Rachel… you can talk, ah?

___

A beat.

Reina blinked.

___

Rachel smiled faintly.

“I know,” she said.

“I can’t read fluently… but I see more meaning.”

She tapped her temple lightly.

“My visual prowess is top.”

___

Hasya stared from above.

“…that is the weirdest confident sentence I’ve heard today.”

___

Reina exhaled a short laugh.

“Okay. Focus first, compliments later.”

Hasya looked down from the tree branch.

“So… what’s the name of the constellation?” she asked.

Reina answered quickly.

“Ursa Major. I think. The Big Dipper pattern.”

___

Reina frowned slightly.

“…or is it Minor?”

She turned.

“Rachel?”

___

Rachel stared at the stones again.

Then up at the sky gap between the leaves.

“…it’s Major,” she said softly.

A beat.

“But the way it’s arranged here… It’s only part of it. So it’s incomplete.”

___

Reina nodded slowly.

“Okay,” she said.

Then corrected herself.

“Confirmed. Ursa Major.”

___

Hasya, still above them, sighed.

“Good. Because I’m not climbing down for a wrong answer.”

Hasya then scanned from above.

“Okay,” she called down, “the stones are pointing past the fence line. There’s a small path behind the coconut trees.”

___

Reina looked at the map again, then at the direction Hasya indicated.

“…that doesn’t match the straight route,” she said.

___

Rachel stepped forward quietly.

She pointed.

“There’s a narrow gap here,” she said. “It’s not on the main path.”

A pause.

“It’s probably the hidden route.”

___

Reina exhaled.

Then nodded once.

“Okay,” she said. “We take that.”

___

From above, Hasya leaned slightly forward.

“Finally,” she muttered. “I can come down now.”

___

She climbed down quickly, landing with a small thud.

Dusting her hands, she glanced at the group.

“Next time, don’t make me be the altitude GPS.”

___

Reina smirked faintly.

“Noted.”

She folded the map once.

Then looked ahead.

___

“Let’s move.”

___

Rachel fell into step beside her.

Hasya followed behind, still grumbling softly—but moving anyway.

From a distance, Nazha stood near the edge of the field.

Still. Quiet.

Her eyes followed Reina’s group moving through the checkpoint.

___

The stones had already been placed earlier that morning.

Carefully.

Intentionally uneven.

___

Nazha didn’t move.

Just watched.

Pen resting against her notebook.

Unwritten.

___

A second set of footsteps stopped beside her.

Megat.

He didn’t speak at first.

Only looked out at the field.

___

Below them, Reina’s group shifted direction again.

___

Megat exhaled softly.

“…you like making them think,” he said.

___

Nazha didn’t answer immediately.

A breeze moved through the trees.

___

“They’re already thinking,” she said finally.

___

Megat glanced at her.

A faint expression—almost amusement.

___

Below, the group paused at the stones.

Then turned again.

___

Nazha’s pen tapped once against the notebook.

Still no writing.

___

Megat watched the movement.

“…you never just observe, do you?”

___

Nazha’s gaze stayed on the field.

“…not anymore,” she said quietly.

___

Reina’s group continued forward.

And Nazha finally lowered her eyes to the notebook.

Still blank.

Their next checkpoint was the ruins of a teacher’s house—demolished after severe structural damage from the 2015 earthquake.

___

Silence settled over the site.

Heavier than before.

___

Reina looked at the shadow.

Then at the broken structure.

Then at Nathan.

__

Hasya shifted slightly.

Rachel stayed quiet.

Nathan waited.

__

Reina exhaled.

“…we’re all reading the same place,” she said slowly, “but we’re not reading the same thing.”

A pause.

She lowered the map slightly.

Then continued.

“Instead of arguing which one is correct…”

Her eyes moved across both groups.

“…we split the task.”

__

Nathan frowned slightly.

Reina raised a hand.

“Your group follows the structure. Mine follows the shadow reference. We meet at the next confirmed checkpoint.”

__

A beat.

No immediate objection.

Because it wasn’t about winning anymore.

It was about moving forward.

___

Hasya blinked.

“…that actually makes sense,” she muttered.

Rachel nodded once.

__

Nathan looked at Randell briefly.

Then back at Reina.

“…agreed,” he said.

___

Reina didn’t smile fully.

But her tone softened.

“Good. Then no one is wrong yet.”

___

She turned slightly to her group.

“Move.”

___

And for the first time in the episode—

Reina didn’t lead by certainty.

She led by coordination under uncertainty.

___

From above, Nazha watched the groups separate from the ruins.

Megat’s voice came quietly beside her.

“…that’s new.”

___

Nazha nodded faintly.

“…she stopped trying to be right first,” she said.

A pause.

“And started trying to keep everyone moving.”

Below, Reina walked at the front again.

But the way she walked had changed.

Not faster.

Not louder.

Just… steadier.

A shout broke the brief silence at the ruins.

___

Footsteps—fast, uneven.

Laughter followed.

___

Asyera appeared with her Scout group at the edge of the site.

Sasha almost stumbled in.

Iffah was still reading the map upside down.

___

Asyera stopped when she saw both Reina and Nathan’s groups.

“…oh,” she said.

A slow grin formed.

“So this is where things get serious.”

___

“…we’re late,” Sasha whispered.

Asyera shrugged.

“No lah.”

A pause.

“We arrived at the interesting part.”

___

Megat noticed first.

“…that group doesn’t settle,” he murmured.

___

Her eyes stayed on Asyera.

Stepping forward.

Unaligned.

Unhurried.

Already reading the space differently.